[dschulz]

"by the end of 2017"?

This must be a joke. Why not earlier? Why do they have to wait a whole year to enforce a ban like this?

It's almost like "China announces ban on human trafficking by end of 2017". Yeah, let's give criminals some time to find new career opportunities!

[blisterpeanuts]

I know, it's strange, isn't it? I've read that some fifty elephants are killed every day. Fifty a day!

Undoubtedly, the announcement will only spur poachers to work overtime and make money while the making is good.

Then there's the question of enforcement.

Thousands more will die before this senseless slaughter finally stops, if it ever does.

[kahrkunne]

Considering they need to inform everyone of this, think of strategies to effectively combat ivory trading, etcetera, 1 year is a very small time period.

[yogeshimac]

Wouldn't it be better if they finalized their plans before announcing something like this? this could very well make the poachers ramp up whatever they were doing, me thinks.

[shaobo]

So they should be less transparent?