Polishing Off the Ivory: Surveys of Thailand's Elephant Ivory Market

Monthly monitoring of Bangkok’s domestic ivory market by TRAFFIC reveals a near trebling of the number of elephant ivory items for sale in the past 18 months and a steep rise in the number of outlets selling ivory in Thailand's capital city.

The number of worked elephant ivory products found for sale rose from 5,865 in January 2013 to 14,512 by May this year, while between January and December 2013, the number of elephant ivory retail outlets rose from 61 to 105.

The report provides evidence that the quantity of elephant ivory found exceeds the limited supply available under current Thai legislation that allows sale of ivory from domesticated animals, meaning the vast majority of elephant ivory being sold is illegal under international commitments.