From Bryn Glover
My first reaction to the imminent introduction of 3D-printed rhino horn (9 May, p 7) was: what a good idea. Can they do the same for elephants’ tusks and all the bits and pieces that the practices of traditional medicine demand, such as bear bile and tiger extracts?
Surely the argument is purely economic: if you flood the market – any market – you drive down the price and make it unviable for poachers to continue. I’d be interested to know what happened to the traditional practice of pearl fishing once cultured pearls arrived.
Glasshouses, North Yorkshire, UK
