Activists Say Yahoo Japan Sold 12 Tonnes of Elephant Ivory

Yahoo Japan is certainly quite an interesting entity, having sold some cool stuff in the past before such as a thirst-quenching Yahoo-branded drink as well as a genetic test kit in the past. This time around, however, things do not seem to look too good for them, as activists have laid claim that Yahoo Japan sold a dozen tonnes of elephant ivory in a short period of two years.

So far, over a million people have asked the Internet company to halt sales of ivory, although Yahoo Japan claims that they do not have ‘controlling ownership’ of its Japan auctions site, and hence, are unable to do anything about the situation. Yahoo happens to own 35.5% of Yahoo Japan, and certainly does not condone any sale of ivory.

Activist network Avaaz has also introduced a petition so that the world will see an end to the alleged permission given by Yahoo to sell ivory online. So far, this particular petition has garnered more than a million signatures, but it does not seem as though online petitions have historically made a huge difference in changing the course of humankind.

A Yahoo spokeswoman shared, “At Yahoo, we understand the concerns raised by this campaign and we in no way condone the sale of products made with ivory obtained from any animal at risk of extinction. Yahoo does not accept ads for ivory under our existing policies. Yahoo is an investor in Yahoo Japan and does not have controlling ownership.”

Edwin Kee
Categories: Computers
Tags: Yahoo