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Seized Ivory Probed For Clues That Could Help Save Elephants

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas
Published January 15, 2018 at 4:02 PM EST

Scientists are using information gleaned from both illegal ivory art and elephant dung to provide clues that could help save the lives of pachyderms that are being slaughtered for their tusks in Africa.

Samples from a $4.5 million illegal ivory seizure in New York are being analyzed to determine where and when the elephants were killed to create the carvings.

A scientist from Columbia University will use radioactive carbon dating to determine when the elephants died. Another researcher from the University of Washington will determine where they were killed using a DNA database compiled by analyzing elephant dung from all over Africa.

The ultimate goals are to raise public awareness of the plight of elephants and help law enforcement and policymakers shut down the ivory market.

© 2018 AP
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New York News ivory trade
Dave Lucas
Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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