WebProNews

eBay has announced it will institute a global ban on the sale of all types of ivory that will go into effect January 1, 2009.

The move comes after an investigative report from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) that found more than 70 percent of all endangered species products listed for sale on the Internet occur in the United States.

The amount of trade tracked in the U.S. was nearly 10 times the trade tracked in the next two leading countries, the United Kingdom and China.

Elephant ivory dominated the investigation, comprising 73 percent of all product listings tracked. African and Asian elephants are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the international Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species.

"We feel this is the best way to protect the endangered and protected species from which a significant portion of ivory products are derived," eBay said on its company blog Tuesday.

According to the IFAW over 4,000 elephant ivory listings were uncovered during its investigation, with most of the sales taking place on eBay's U.S. site. In one case, a user purchased a pair of elephant tusks off eBay for more than $21,000.

"IFAW congratulates eBay on this very important step to protect elephants. With these findings and eBay's leadership, there is no doubt left that all Internet dealers need to take responsibility for their impact on endangered species by enacting and enforcing a ban on all online wildlife trade," said Barbara Cartwright, IFAW Campaigns Manager.