Thailand allows its nationals to trade in ivory from elephants that died of natural causes within its borders. However animal activists claim the system is abused and ivory from Africa and elsewhere is "laundered" through the country. TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, approximates that the country's elephant population and the natural death rate could only provide 18.5 pounds of ivory per registered carver a year. But lack of enforcement and regulation allows Thai merchants to acquire much larger quantities. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will hold a conference in Bangkok from March 3 to 14 and environmental groups such as World Wide Fund for Nature and TRAFFIC plan to table a motion calling for sanctions against Thailand.
