--- title: Obama Admin Allows Ivory Ban Exemption for Musicians description: Musicians will be allowed to bring instruments made with ivory, as long as they can prove that the items were bought before 1976, when the elephants were put on the endangered species list canonical: https://time.com/101826/obama-exemption-ban-ivory/ author: Giri Nathan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-05-15T20:49:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T07:52:25.445Z article:section: Politics og:title: Obama Admin Allows Ivory Ban Exemption for Musicians og:description: Musicians will be allowed to bring instruments made with ivory, as long as they can prove that the items were bought before 1976, when the elephants were put on the endangered species list og:url: https://time.com/101826/obama-exemption-ban-ivory/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Obama Admin Allows Ivory Ban Exemption for Musicians twitter:description: Musicians will be allowed to bring instruments made with ivory, as long as they can prove that the items were bought before 1976, when the elephants were put on the endangered species list twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Obama Admin Allows Ivory Ban Exemption for Musicians by [Giri Nathan](https://time.com/author/giri-nathan/) ## Giri Nathan May 15, 2014 8:49 PM UTC by [Giri Nathan](https://time.com/author/giri-nathan/) ## Giri Nathan May 15, 2014 8:49 PM UTC Musical instruments, museum items and “certain other items not intended for sale” that are made of African elephant ivory will be allowed to move internationally, but not sold, the Obama administration announced [Thursday](http://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ID=01146682-F770-6412-DADBA60BBDA5D4C5). The allowance is an exemption on an existing ban that went into effect earlier this year, prohibiting the trade of material made from the endangered animal’s tusk. Director of Fish and Wildlife Service Dan Ashe stressed the importance of strictly enforcing the trade ban and working to curb the “poaching crisis facing African elephants today,” but added in a statement that, “We have listened to the very real concerns expressed by the regulated community and have made common-sense adjustments.” When the[ trade ban](http://science.time.com/2014/02/11/us-bans-ivory-products/) was announced in February, many musicians complained that their careers relied on older instruments that contained ivory, and that using these instruments did not contribute to the plight of elephant survival. Fish and Wildlife Service revisited the policy and decided to permit musicians to travel with their instruments, as long as they can prove that the items were bought before 1976, when the elephants were put on the list of animals facing possible extinction by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. In accordance with the ban, they will not be able to sell these instruments. The U.S. is the second-largest market for legal and illegal ivory products, after China. 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