Singapore to ban sale of elephant ivory from 2021
Singapore: Singapore said Monday it will impose a blanket ban on the domestic sale of elephant ivory and products from 2021 as the government tightens its campaign against illegal wildlife trade.
The announcement on World Elephant Day followed two years of consultations with non-government groups, ivory retailers and the public. Authorities in the city-state made their largest ever seizure of smuggled ivory last month, impounding a haul of nearly nine tonnes of contraband tusks from an estimated 300 African elephants valued at $12.9 million.
The illegal cargo was discovered in a container from the Democratic Republic of the Congo being shipped to Vietnam via Singapore and also included a huge stash of pangolin scales. Singapore has banned international trade in all forms of elephant ivory products since 1990. Such items could be sold domestically if traders could prove they were imported before that year or acquired prior to the inclusion of the relevant elephant species in an international convention protecting endangered species.
In a statement on Monday, Singapore’s National Parks Board banned the sale of elephant ivory and products with effect from September 1, 2021. Violators face a jail term of up to one year and fines on conviction. Traders can donate their ivory stocks to institutions or keep them after the ban takes effect, the board said.
Public consultation by the government last year showed that 99 percent of those who responded were in favour of a total ban. Elephant ivory is coveted because it can be fashioned into items like combs, pendants and other jewellery.
The global trade in elephant ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since 1989 after the population of the African giants dropped from millions in the mid-20th century to around 600,000 by the end of the 1980s. (AFP)
16-year-old dies after attack by 3 dogs in Dallas-area backyard
Irving: Police say a 16-year-old boy has died after being mauled by three pit bulls inside the fenced backyard of a Dallas-area home where the dogs lived.
Irving police on Sunday announced the boy’s death. One officer was treated for a dog bite. A police statement says officers responded around 5 a.m. Saturday to reports of a dog attack and arrived to find the dogs mauling the boy, who did not live at the home.
The teen died on Saturday night at a hospital. His name hasn’t been released. Police shot one of the dogs, who later had to be euthanized.
The other two were taken to a shelter. Irving police are investigating why the teen was at the home. The owner told investigators that the boy was trespassing. (AP)
Tesla Model 3 car explodes after hitting truck
San Francisco: A Tesla Model 3 car has crashed once more, this time it collided with a tow truck in Moscow exploding into flames and severely injuring three of a family, the media reported.
Russian businessman Alexey Tretyakov, along with his two children were present in the car, who were all severely injured, the Electrek reported on Sunday.
Video footages of the car catching fire and exploding have been circulating on social networking platforms like Instagram. The vehicle was reportedly on Autopilot at the time of the accident.
As of now, there has been no official acknowledgement or explanation to the unfortunate accident from Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
However, this is not the first time that Tesla vehicles on Autopilot have crashed into other vehicles and exploded into flames. (IANS)