Operation OX: Investigating the Sale of Illegal Ivory in the European Union
Within Europe, it is still legal to trade worked ivory originally acquired before 1947 without restriction. For the first time, this study shows that this legal trade is covering up an illegal trade. There is a widespread practice in countries across Europe of selling ‘antique’ ivory that actually dates from much later – and this illegal trade includes ivory from elephants poached and slaughtered in the last few years. But European officials have purported that there is no evidence that the legal ivory trade in the EU is providing cover for illegal ivory.
To test this claim scientifically, Earth League International (ELI) and Avaaz purchased 109 pieces of ivory from 10 countries across Europe and had Oxford University test the pieces using radiocarbon dating.
During Operation OX, funded by Avaaz, Earth League International (formerly Elephant Action League) managed the purchasing operations, identifying and purchasing “legal” ivory pieces from across the EU.
ELI researched and selected the ivory pieces to ensure a varied data set, considering factors such as the type of seller, country of origin, advertising, and price. All items in the study were either advertised as pre-1947 antiques or had no age listed. This operation produced 109 pieces of supposedly legal ivory. The test results said otherwise:
Three quarters (74.3%) of the ivory tested was fake antique ivory and being sold illegally One in five (19%) pieces of the ivory tested were from elephants that were alive in the 1990s and 2000s and killed after the global trade in new elephant ivory was outlawed High levels of illegal ivory were found in almost every country tested The most recent ivory tested in the study was dated from after 2010
The results show when the ivory grew on a living elephant, not when the elephant died, which means the ivory in this study is likely to have come from elephants killed years, even decades, after the dates shown. The study shows, without doubt, that recently poached ivory is being sold across Europe, giving the European Commission the evidence that it said it was lacking.
The study found in Bulgaria, Spain, and Italy, all the pieces tested were illegal, and in France, the Netherlands, and Portugal, the large majority were illegal. Illegal items were found to be sold by antique shops as well as private sellers.
Following this operation, ELI’s Founder & Executive Director, Andrea Crosta, said: “We are very proud of this work. I think it is the most concrete effort so far in Europe to show how the legal market can be used to launder illegal ivory.”
Bert Wander, campaign director at Avaaz, said: “This proves beyond doubt that illegal ivory is being sold across Europe. It must spark the end of this bloody trade. Every day the sale of these trinkets continues is a day closer to wiping out majestic elephants forever.”
