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Showing posts from January, 2021

Poaching Part One

 Poaching is a gigantic problem in many places around the world. I'm going to start with Africa and ivory, since I can't cover it all in one blog post. Let's get started. Ivory Ok, first off, ivory is made of keratin. Sound familiar? Well, that's because it's what your hair AND fingernails are made of. And turtle shells, bird beaks and talons, hooves, claws, pangolin scales, porcupine quills, all of that. And....horns and tusks. Why on earth are we killing rhinos and elephants for something that is the same chemical makeup as our hair and nails? Because of traditional medicine. I am NOT saying that tradition is bad, I am saying that it does in no way justify killing other animals for something that really doesn't work anyway. If you need a dietary supplement, just get it from the pharmacy. Please?  And, ivory sculptures and jewelry look the same as plaster, pretty much. And the plaster is WAY cheaper. Rhino ivory is now more expensive than diamonds or gold. That