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The present-day Egyptian ivory trade

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2009

Esmond Martin
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Abstract

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There are probably more illegal ivory items for sale in Egypt than anywhere else in Africa. The author visited the main tourist centres of Cairo, Luxor and Aswan in late 1998 and counted over 21,000 ivory items for sale. Most of the ivory has come from elephants hunted illegally in Central and West Africa. Traders still transport the raw tusks, by truck and on camels, through Sudan across the desert into Egypt. Since the 1990 CITES ban on the international commercial ivory trade, Egypt, a member state, has prohibited not only the import and export of ivory but domestic trade as well. Ivory sales continue openly, however, in the markets and hotels, and new ivory items are still being made. The main buyers are from France, Italy, Spain and Latin America. The Egyptian Government must enforce its legislation against this ivory trade to reduce the serious elephant poaching in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan.

Keywords

CITESEgyptivorysmugglingtrade
Type
Research Article
Information
Oryx , Volume 34 , Issue 2 , April 2000 , pp. 101 - 108
Copyright
Copyright © Fauna and Flora International 2000

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