To mark World Elephant Day, Singapore bans sale of ivory from 2021
- Public consultations were held, showing that 99 per cent of those who responded were in favour of a total ban
- Last month, Singapore seized tusks from 300 elephants in its largest ever ivory bust
Singapore said on Monday it will impose a blanket ban on the domestic sale of elephant ivory and products from 2021, as it tightens its campaign against the illegal wildlife trade.
The announcement on World Elephant Day followed two years of consultations with non-government groups, ivory retailers and the public.
Authorities in the city state made their largest ever seizure of smuggled ivory last month, impounding a haul of nearly nine tonnes of contraband tusks from an estimated 300 African elephants valued at US12.9 million.
The illegal cargo was discovered in a container from the Democratic Republic of the Congo being shipped to Vietnam via Singapore. It also included a huge stash of pangolin scales.
Singapore has banned international trade in all forms of elephant ivory products since 1990.
Such items could be sold domestically if traders could prove they were imported before that year or acquired before the inclusion of the relevant elephant species in an international convention protecting endangered species.
In a statement on Monday, Singapore’s National Parks Board said violators would face a jail term of up to one year, and fines on conviction.