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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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time
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050189
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05018900.013
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1990-09-17
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BUSINESS, Page 56Tusk, TuskAn ivory dealer's mea culpa
The two pairs of pure, uncarved African elephant tusks were
expected to bring their owner between $20,000 and $28,000 in an
auction last week at Sotheby's in New York City. But they never
made it to the block. Last week Sotheby's not only withdrew the
tusks from sale but promised to stop dealing in elephant tusks or
any jewelry, furniture or artwork containing ivory that is less
than 50 years old. The change of heart was inspired by an outcry
that began soon after the tusks appeared in Sotheby's catalog.
Clients and environmentalists said the sale would encourage
poachers who are wiping out Africa's elephant herds. In a half-page
ad in the New York Times, a Connecticut-based group called Friends
of Animals asked, "Why auction elephant tusks in the midst of an
elephant holocaust?"
Sotheby's removed the tusks from the market by buying them from
the unidentified owner, and will donate them to a museum. "We will
never again sell elephant tusks," said Michael Ainslie, president
of Sotheby's. "We would hope it sets an example." Environmental
groups hope so as well. The U.S. imports about $30 million worth
of ivory annually. Much of it is illegally harvested in a slaughter
that each year wipes out nearly 100,000 of Africa's elephants,
reducing their current numbers to as few as 600,000. To cut demand,
the African Wildlife Foundation, a Washington-based group, has
written letters to 11,000 jewelers in the U.S. asking them to stop
selling ivory products. Several major retailers, including Macy's,
have already agreed to phase out ivory sales.