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    Adrastra, patron saint of snarkEllie Shechet
    6/02/16 7:26pm
    GIF

    ELEPHANTS ARE THE BEST ANIMALS IN THE WORLD AND I WILL FIGHT YOU ALL OVER THIS.

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      I'm Fart and I'm SmunnyAdrastra, patron saint of snark
      6/02/16 7:35pm

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      tyzAdrastra, patron saint of snark
      6/02/16 7:38pm

      You’ll get no argument from me.

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    IvrinielEllie Shechet
    6/02/16 7:57pm

    What about mammoth ivory? I have read it is being collected in large quantities in Siberia as a replacement for elephant ivory.

    I find this disquieting, as it means that mammoth remains are being dug up and what we could learn from those remains is being lost.

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      Vox PopulistIvriniel
      6/02/16 8:44pm

      President Putin needs to keep up his manhood. Powdered ivory is nature’s viagra for real men.

      You might not like it, but that’s still better than him invading another country, right?

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      IvrinielVox Populist
      6/02/16 9:32pm

      You mean the way he already is in Ukraine?

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    I'm Fart and I'm SmunnyEllie Shechet
    6/02/16 7:07pm

    I am so damn proud of my country right now. Just well done.

    GIF
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      JujyMonkey: Clever tagline goes hereEllie Shechet
      6/02/16 7:22pm

      1.3 million comments is great support for this very worthy cause but realize that Kim Kardashian gets 5 million likes for a selfie of her looking bored and dead-eyed.

      WHOMP-WHAAAAA! (Debbie Downer face)

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        LuckyCatJujyMonkey: Clever tagline goes here
        6/03/16 9:06am
        GIF
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      A Friend Called 5Ellie Shechet
      6/02/16 7:58pm
      GIF

      Way to go! Thanks, Obama.

      (Now, if only Asia would follow.)

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        rslwnEllie Shechet
        6/02/16 7:08pm

        1.3 million comments! Wouldn’t wanna be the one person over at Fish and Wildlife who had to tag all of those.

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          mattereaterladrslwn
          6/02/16 8:13pm

          Especially since most of them were rape gifs.

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          rslwnmattereaterlad
          6/03/16 12:25pm

          You think? :(

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        TzaEllie Shechet
        6/02/16 7:21pm

        Under current guidelines, ivory can be sold if it was brought into the United States before it was listed as endangered or if the elephant died of natural causes, as long as there is documentation.

        I want to talk about one of my fav books, The Lizard King. It’s about the reptile smuggling trade and follows in particular the Van Nostrand operation. And one of the things the head of that operation noted was that as soon as there was a “captive bred” loophole (that is, if you had documentation saying the animals were bred in captivity instead of poached, you could import and sell them), the paperwork became even more valuable than the reptiles, hell, the paperwork was the real business at times. You needed a dealer who could get you forged paperwork from a bribable official. So you weren’t just buying poached animals anymore, you bought them in a set with the papers.

        And honestly I think that’s what’ll happen here. Officials bribed to say the elephant died naturally or mis-date an object. Sure some will be caught, but not all. But the papers will become just as lucrative as the goods.

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          $7CoffeeTza
          6/02/16 8:09pm

          This article wasn’t really clear but in the original it says they have removed the “natural causes” clause. The only ivory that is still legal now is antiques.

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          pileofashesTza
          6/02/16 10:03pm

          That’s exactly why the guidelines are being changed to get rid of those exceptions. There’s no rule that can completely stop the trade of illegal ivory, but making it illegal to import “raw” ivory, full stop, and illegal to trade in worked ivory that cannot be proven to be legitimately antique is going to make the US a much less hospitable market.

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        Rapunzel's Frying PanEllie Shechet
        6/02/16 7:25pm
        GIF
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          IHateGoatsPartDeuxEllie Shechet
          6/03/16 12:20pm

          I see literally no negatives here.

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            cuntybawsEllie Shechet
            6/02/16 7:21pm

            Humanity to Implement ‘Near Total’ Ban on Elephants Being Left Alive on Earth

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