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Royal Museum Project joins battle against illegal ivory trade

A new technique to determine whether ivory is antique will help the battle against illegal trading.

The method is being developed by forensic zoologist Dr Ross McEwing, with help from National Museums Scotland’s Dr Andrew Kitchener. 

Only ivory that pre-dates June 1947 can be sold as an antique. However, police have found it hard to prove the age of ivory goods, making it difficult to clamp down on the illegal trade.

Dr McEwing’s method involves testing radioactive carbon levels in the ivory, a technique known as ‘radiocarbon dating’ traditionally used to ascertain the age of artefacts.

However, his method relies on the increased amount of the radioactive isotope carbon 14 introduced to the atmosphere during nuclear weapons testing in the 1950s and 1960s. Elephants that died  after 1947 will have increased levels of carbon 14, whereas those that died before will have lower amounts present in their ivory.

Over the next six months, McEwing’s technique will be tested on ivory samples from the National Museum of Scotland, for which the age is already known.

"It is vital that we use our collections to support the conservation of endangered species such as elephants," Dr Kitchener explains. "This technique will be a powerful tool for enforcement agencies to prevent trade in illegal ivory."

The technique may also be used to test the age of other illegally traded specimens, including rhinoceros horn and turtle shells.