With ceaseless population 'growth' the threat to resources, habitats and eco-systems is remorseless . The question of endangered species is a complex one and it's certainly not a stance either/or . The total policing of peoples' property, banning already existing artefacts either public in museums or private is no answer, moreover it will teach us nothing. We need to learn about the totality of our past good &bad and not a current or sanitised version that suits contemporary tastes/urges/prejudices. If we look at magnificent carvings made of Ivory we should marvel at the skill of those who could do it and abhor those who sought to make money & trade out of killing a great sentient being like an Elephant merely for its teeth, and the vanity of men. Likewise with the Great Whales, animals almost certainly exceeding our intelligence, driven to near extinction by unrestricted whaling for oil, bone, meat and spurious cultural 'traditions' Such a thing is a shame to our species indeed.
Nor is it good enough to say "Well I can afford it and I'll do what I damn well like with my money, anyway the thing's dead now or one bit of wood won't make a difference to a forest" If an Acorn grows to a mighty Oak, thus cutting a tree destroys the home and habitat of many things, cutting thousand ruins millions, never re-planting means extinction is forever and vanity is as brief as our lives - sometimes as toxic. There have to be limits or measures due to the wasteful nature of humans. A forest takes a century to grow, it can be razed to the ground by machines in hours.
Ivory is certainly not a very durable material for knife scales, it cracks and shrinks a lot, personally, I don't even like the look of it much and synthetic/faux substitutes are preferable. Likewise Tortoiseshell- the cause of the death and extreme suffering of many species of Turtles. Limits only seem to come when people have sobered up and noticed at last an animal, tree or habitat is on the very edge of extinction. Do we really feel it's OK to poach Rhino or Tiger simply because somebody has the money to do it, is corrupt enough to accept bribes, take the money and is grotesquely ignorant enough to believe it will revive their sagging virility etc? No.
These endangered species lists and restrictions are entirely because of humans' massive destructive imprint on the globe, without some attempts at regulation there will be nothing as in the Carrier Pigeon. With Stag, the antlers are hopefully shed naturally, Deer can be farmed or bred so it is a replenished resource, likewise Bovine bone is plentiful and constantly replenished. There are others such as Camel which makes a decent knife handle and is endlessly available, I've often wondered why Horse Bone isn't used, it must be strong as Horses are powerful animals that can pull vehicles and carry people so why not? The Hooves are used for knife scales at least. Giraffe, I don't know...why use them? You don't generally eat them. OK if they have been farmed or die in captivity but otherwise I would not accept it.
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