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> 5. You only get one pair of tusks per elephant.

Actually, tusks are continually growing, like our hair and nails. I've read proposals to farm a "sustainable" amount of tusk (Google says they grow 15 cm per year). The Chinese market isn't looking for huge tusks for display but rather a powder to put in traditional remedies.



> Chinese market isn't looking for huge tusks for display but rather a powder to put in traditional remedies.

It's both actually. I believe that it's actually mostly bought in the form of carved ivory and to a lesser extent for powder for traditional remedies.


Okay, I stand corrected on that one.

However, the Chinese traditional medicine market would do just as well with chalk dust, I assume.




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