UK government to extend ivory ban to stop the sale of orca teeth

Following the UK ban on the import, export and dealing of elephant ivory in 2022, the government is planning to add orca, narwhals and sperm whales to the list.

An extension to the Ivory Act 2018 will help to protect them, and anyone caught dealing in the teeth (or tusks from narwhals) could face large fines, or a five year jail sentence.

Parliament will now vote on the extension of the Act before it can come into force.

The removal of teeth from dead whales is already a crime under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. We contributed to a recent report on wildlife crime produced by the Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL), which highlighted the worrying levels of unwitnessed or unreported incidents, shockingly low conviction rates and continued exploitation of wildlife.

Last year, a man from Oxfordshire was arrested after the discovery of a large collection of sperm whale teeth thought to be worth £18,000 was found.

HELP US PROTECT WHALES AND DOLPHINS - PLEASE DONATE NOW