Well, time for good news and bad news for Illinois citizens. The good news is that I hear the Matthiessen State Park is still really pretty, and Chicago style pizza never gets old.
The bad news? As of January 1st, Mammoth Ivory will no longer be able to be purchased within the state due to legislation designed around protecting elephants. Now, for those worried, it’s not illegal to possess Mammoth in Illinois, only to sell it, nor is it illegal to give them away upon your death or anticipation thereof.
Illinois is now the 7th state with such laws, the others being California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, and Oregon.
It’s hard to say if the trend will continue, but as of right now the following states have or have had bills regarding the distribution of mammoth ivory. Many are part of bills stuck in limbo, but such things still deserve to be cautiously observed: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
In attempting to stop the poaching of live elephants, broad and vague wording also afforded the protection and right to live to the extinct mammoth.
So, if you have them, better keep hold of them. Though if you were wanting to get rid of them, it’s still totally legal to give them to an individual upon your death or anticipation of your death, so something to keep in mind on that front at least.