IFAW to eBay: First Clean Up Your Own Site

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Sep 05 (MARKET WIRE) --
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) expressed dismay with
eBay's investment in a new "socially responsible" web site when it has
not yet meaningfully addressed significant animal welfare and
conservation issues on its own flagship site.

This week, eBay launched WorldofGood.com, billing it as "a new e-commerce
marketplace" that offers "products that have a positive impact on people
and the planet." This contrasts with eBay's global policies which IFAW
has shown abdicate responsibility for the purchase and sale of endangered
species on its sites worldwide.

"We appreciate eBay taking a leadership role in making online shopping
more ethical and transparent," said Peter Pueschel, Director of IFAW's
Wildlife Trade program. "Unfortunately, the constructive goals of
WorldofGood.com are a very small concession offered towards addressing a
much larger problem." Worldwide, the trade in illegal wildlife is
estimated to be in the billions of dollars per year - a black market
believed to be surpassed only by the illegal trade in drugs and guns. "If
eBay doesn't clean up its own site, it will continue to drive animals
toward extinction by running a marketplace for people to buy and sell
illegal wildlife products."

The world is not good for animals like elephants which are threatened by
the online trade in ivory. Through investigations, IFAW has found that
eBay accounts for a large majority of potentially illegal ivory sold
openly on the web. An IFAW report in 2007 revealed that at least 90% of
all investigated ivory listings on eBay were legally suspect.
Furthermore, a soon to be released 2008 IFAW investigation has revealed
that ivory traded on eBay has significantly increased in the United
States since the 2007 report.

According to eBay, its new site allows "shoppers to see the positive
social and environmental impact" of each purchase including whether it
"supports animal species preservation." Unfortunately, the flagship site
does nothing to police the continued illegal trade of animal products on
eBay's main site. "Ironically, while one site purports to offer items
that protect species the other is offering products that endanger
species" said Jeffery Flocken, IFAW DC Office Director." It is estimated
that up to 20,000 elephants are killed each year to supply the illegal
ivory trade.

.

"Until eBay bans the sale of ivory on all its websites and enforces its
existing policies it will continue to play a role in driving endangered
species to extinction." said Flocken. "The problem isn't that ethically
responsible online shoppers don't have a place to go to, the problem is
that eBay needs to shut down the illegal trade on its main site before
it's too late."

Contacts:
The International Fund for Animal Welfare
Barbara Cartwright
Campaigns Manager
613-241-3982 ext. 244
bcartwright@ifaw.org

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