If we flooded the market with a convincing ivory substitute, do you think this would help prevent illegal poaching?
Why?
Additional Details
6 months ago
Good imitations of fur, helped prevent real fur being used.Thanks everyone for your answers. Poachers come in quietly and leave quick ,by the time somebody finds the carcass the vultures ,hyenas and worms have done their bit ,and the meat is spoiled or gone.
If these animals are hunted openly with native people present ,the meat does not go to waste Report Abuse in the minds of the Chinese there is no substitute for rhino horn or tigers genitals ,for aphrodisiacs,
AND AS THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR GOLD ,THERE ALSO IS NONE FOR REAL IVORY. Report Abuse
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Other Answers (4)
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it is a step which can help a lot
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I%26#039;m not sure. It might make it worse in causing it to become harder to regulate ivory like products.
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Well, it%26#039;d be hard to make it convincing. Ivory has a structure not unlike wood. Under modest magnification it is unmistakable as its cell structure is apparent--and beautiful. Your plan could back-fire. It could make the %26#039;real thing%26#039; a status symbol if attention is brought to it.
Cubic zirconia hasn%26#039;t made diamonds any less in demand even though experts can%26#039;t tell them from real diamonds without testing. -
There have been ivory substitutes since the invention of plastic, but that has not prevented poaching.
Flooding the market with low cost ivory, would eliminate poaching. Just like providing heroin addicts in NYC free heroin and clean needles would immediately reduce crime and spread of HIV.
I don%26#039;t know if there is any suplus of ivory to flood the market with, but there is no shortage of narcotics and needles to keep the addicts in NYC happy (even if no one wants to solve the problem this way.)