Yahoo under spotlight for ivory trinket sales

Elephants in Kui Buri National Park, Thailand. Photo / Getty Images

Large online brands, including Google and Amazon, are pitching in to help crack down on the international ivory trade.

Yahoo, however - running one of the biggest marketplaces on the Internet - is receiving criticism for enabling ivory trinket sales via its services in Japan.

It is estimated that around 100 elephants are dying each day to feed the industry. Global civic organisation Avaaz says the emotional intelligence of the animals means they will be able to understand the frightening damage that is being wrought upon them.

Avaaz intends to run an an advertising campaign to encourage Yahoo employees worldwide to enact change from within the international corporation.

Yahoo is already facing trouble in the long term, as some of its skilled professionals are defecting to other companies. Its CEO Marissa Mayer is offering millions of dollars to try and retain such workers.

Avaaz believes further controversy among Yahoo's workforce due to the anti-ivory campaign will deal a blow to the company and make it reconsider what is an effective endorsement of the trade.

Ivory sales on Yahoo Japan have increased from around $2 million in 2010 to $7 million in 2014. Whilst Yahoo Japan is separate from the global Yahoo firm, the larger corporation still owns a large amount of its shares and has a direct impact on company policy.

Avaaz is running a petition asking Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Yahoo Japan CEO Manabu Miyasaka, and all other companies allowing ivory sales online to stop selling the associated products.

In cooperation with WWF supporters and Leonardo DiCaprio, Avaaz's membership previously forced the Thai prime minister to end the unregulated ivory market in that country, thanks to an innumerable amount of comments left on her Facebook page, showing that the power is still, at least partially, in citizens' hands.

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