Thailand may ban it's domestic ivory trade during an international meeting here next week after a petition signed by 500,000 people from 200 countries appealed to the government to do so.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network, presented a petition to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) meeting will be held at the Queen Sirikit Convention Centre from March 3-15 and will be attended by representatives from 177 countries.
"We will consider the issue and how we can help," said Yingluck, who was scheduled to open the meeting Sunday.
Thailand allows ivory trade only from the domestic elephants.
WWF said that tusks from wild animals are smuggled into the country and used to make "domestic" ivory products. 30,000 elephants are slaughtered for their tusks every year by poachers in Africa.
Thailand is considered a centre of the illicit trade, with the trade fronted by its famed craftsmanship of domestic ivory products.
"We will take the issue raised by WWF into consideration," the prime minister said adding that Thailand already has existing laws to protect wildlife. Elephants are culturally important to Thailand.
"If host-nation Thailand fails to take bold action and that means nothing less than a ban on all ivory trade then Thailand's wild elephants could be next," said Janpai Ongsiriwattaya, WWF's wildlife trade campaign manager.
According to WWF estimates Thailand has an about 2,500 wild elephants.
Phansiri Winichagoon, director of WWF-Thailand, said that 'Cities' meeting is the best chance for Thailand to take the lead in banning the trade entirely.
The issue was earlier highlighted by Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, who appealed to Yingluck to ban the ivory trading.
