Woolly mammoths are extinct. Here’s why they may be considered ‘endangered.’
A global summit on the wildlife trade will consider the proposal, which could further restrict the ivory trade.
One of the most surprising proposals under discussion at the giant global wildlife trade treaty meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, is about woolly mammoths—creatures that once wandered huge tracts of North America, Europe, and northern Asia—and went extinct more than 4,000 years ago.
The move to consider adding an extinct species to the list of living, regulated animals is controversial, since the objective of the CITES treaty is to help prevent species today from being driven to extinction because of the international trade in wildlife products. The treaty doesn’t specifically preclude the listing of extinct species, but it does state that they “should not normally be proposed for inclusion.”
The reason for the proposal, which was submitted by Israel? To clamp
