Yahoo’s Japan Division Focus of Anti-Ivory Sales Campaign

The online campaigning group Avaaz has gathered more than 1 million signatures worldwide against Yahoo Japan for allegedly allowing the sale of ivory online.

Avaaz launched the campaign accompanied by a horrific photograph of an elephant with its tusks and trunk severed, with the words, “Yahoo – stop your deadly ivory trade!”

In an open letter addressed to Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Yahoo Japan CEO Manabu Miyasaka “and all other companies allowing ivory sales online”, Avaaz said, “As global citizens, we are appalled that you allow ivory to be sold on your site/platform, fuelling elephant extinction. Major brands like Google and Amazon now responsibly refuse to take part in this bloody trade. We call on you to urgently stop all ivory sales from sites/platforms in Japan and all other markets.”

Avaaz said Yahoo “is making a killing from trinket sales in Japan! But right now we have a chance to end this corporate complicity”.

In a news report last week, it was stated that more tusks are being registered with the Japanese government each year. In 2010, about 500 tusks were registered. By 2014, it was nearly 1,900 tusks. According to Avaaz, sales are up too – ivory sales on Yahoo Japan have apparently jumped from approximately $2 million in 2010 to $7 million in 2014.

“Right now Yahoo is losing some of its best employees,” the petition carried on, “and the CEO is offering millions to convince people to stay. If we threaten to lift the lid on Yahoo’s bloody secret, she could lose staff even faster, and may reconsider the costs of this cruel trade.”