Britain Announces Toughest Ban On Ivory In Europe In Effort To Protect Elephants

The British government has announced a full ban on the sale of ivory items regardless of their age in an effort to stop poaching and protect elephants.

This new legislation will create the toughest ban on ivory in Europe and one of the toughest in the world, it said.

"Ivory should never be seen as a commodity for financial gain or a status symbol, so we will introduce one of the world's toughest bans on ivory sales to protect elephants for future generations," Environment Secretary Michael Gove said in a statement.

"This ban makes the UK a global leader in tackling this bloody trade, and it's something WWF has been fighting hard for," World Wide Fund chief executive Tanya Steele said.

"But if we want to stop the poaching of this majestic animal, we need global action. We hope the UK will continue to press countries where the biggest ivory markets are, most of which are in Asia, to shut down their trade too."