$100,000 Rhinoceros Horn Recovered

Some good news – a black rhinoceros horn worth about $100,000 that was stolen last year from the University of Vermont has been returned. Police received a tip that led to the horn being sent back in exchange for immunity for the tipster. The university acquired the two-feet-long rhino horn in the early 1900s. It is now in safe storage. Other updates about elephant ivory. Hong Kong, the world’s biggest retail ivory market, has approved a ban on ivory trading by 2021.  The new law can charge a fine up to $1.3 million and up to 10 years in prison as punishment for breaking the law. The U.S. has lifted the import ban on parts of elephants shot for sport in Africa, but conditional on the approval of the African country. That means that body parts that will probably become mounted trophies can be imported. Licensed hunts sometimes cost more than $50,000 per person. A portion of the fee is given to the country where the hunt takes place.  That portion is usually used as a source of income for the country and to help fund conservation efforts.