HONG Kong has given its ivory traders five years before its rules are tightened.
In line with recent promises from Beijing, in June a HK government paper proposed a three-step plan to phase out the local trade in modern ivory and impose tougher penalties for illegal trading.
Step one will see a ban on imports and the re-exporting of trophies and modern carvings; step two, a ban on the trade in ivory acquired before 1975, and step three, the total outlawing of all domestic sales including those obtained before 1990.