Tourists in Thailand: beware of bad souvenirs
Buddha figurines of ivory
At the beginning of this month, the IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) launched a major summer campaign at Schiphol Airport against bad souvenirs. This is to stop the trade in souvenirs made from endangered wild animals.
Thirty IFAW employees will be educating thousands of tourists throughout the summer through a purpose-built interactive booth. It also shows erroneous souvenirs that were confiscated at Schiphol.
Trade in ivory
The trade in souvenirs made of ivory, snake and crocodile skin, coral, turtle shell, fur, etc. is flourishing like never before. Special attention is paid to the ivory trade. In recent years, the illicit trade in ivory has increased enormously. Tons of ivory from poached elephants are confiscated in Africa and Asia every year. Elephant populations in large parts of Asia and Africa are at risk of extinction due to smuggling and illegal hunting. Tourists who buy a souvenir containing ivory contribute (often unsuspectingly) to this tragic fact.
Elephants
Elephants' lives are already threatened worldwide by habitat reduction and climate change. Poaching adds a big shovel to this. The number of elephants in Africa has almost halved compared to 40 years ago. Not only the elephant is a victim of poaching, rangers who protect the elephants are also killed every year. Many tourists do not realize that the illegal trade in ivory is partly maintained by them. Not only in countries like Thailand, Japan, China and the US, ivory is still popular. The demand for ivory also remains high in Europe.
Seizure
In March, 40 kg of ivory was seized by French customs from a home in Paris. Two weeks earlier, hundreds of ivory figurines were intercepted in Portugal. In the past six months, nine shipments of illegal ivory were discovered in Thailand and April this year saw the largest seizure of ivory to date. Chinese customs confiscated 707 tusks and 32 ivory bracelets.
Legislation
International law prohibits taking home ivory products, or products with traces of endangered species, from holiday. At the border, the traveler runs into the light. For many people it is an unpleasant experience if their souvenir is found to be illegal and confiscated. The only thing the tourist gets in return is a fine. This while these souvenirs are simply offered at local markets or in the hotel lobby.
To avoid risking and participating in animal cruelty, IFAW recommends avoiding these types of souvenirs. There are many wonderful alternative souvenirs to be found. For more information go to www.ifaw.nl or www.douane.nl.
Also watch out for Chinese pirated DVDs. Not accepted. Very annoying when you have to open your suitcase in the Netherlands. I suspect your suitcase will be scanned along the way. The seizure is neatly noted, of which you receive a copy.
Thai DVDs and music are allowed through, at least I have not heard anything about that.
You can safely take up to 10 Chinese DVDs with you, there is a maximum for importing DVDs, watches, clothing, etc. everywhere in the Schengen zone.
just don't make it too crazy, but indeed ivory and other natural scrapped goods, never do.
I once found a tusk with a dead animal attached to it in Tanzania in a nature park and wanted to take it with me by sea, the beast had been dead for months and no poachers' work, because then the tusk was no longer there.
so knocked that tooth out of that dead beast, not very nice in an area where lions and stuff walk around, but it had to be done ...
back to France [I lived in France at the time] I was of course very nervous because I knew what I was doing.
.
the plane from Djibouti arrived at 4 o'clock in the morning and there was no check on Charles de Gaulle….no one.walked out of the airport…
remains special and has nothing to do with trade or poaching.
animals with ivory teeth also die.
but i don't recommend anyone to do this.
I was lucky. never do again.
Very nice this story about the beads and mirrors that people think they have to take with them from faraway warm countries… would have been nice for me a few years earlier. The bead I took with me now has kids calling me daddy 😀
Really a dillema here,
first of all i am 100% against any kind of trade in ivory pelts and so much more.
supply and demand almost always determines everything and the price that is then paid in the end,
burn a ton of ivory, for example, the market becomes very thin because of this.
the poachers will certainly take more risks!
and the same as the drug underworld, they also get it at the destination!
I could not give a firm answer.
farm animals can help ,
but what about elephants and rhinoceroses?
There are indeed people who are in favor of controlled ivory trade (there is quite enough ivory, after all) in order to lower the price of ivory and thus make poaching unprofitable.
I am afraid that this will be opposed by the many (highly placed) who earn from the poaching of ivory, among other things.
Let's be honest, a Steinway grand piano with plastic keys is a bit fake.
Chang Noi