Ten "Must Buys" This Holiday Season
Christmas gift buyers should purchase coral jewelry, crocodile skin and Beluga caviar if they want to enjoy a guilt-free holiday season, the CHL said on Tuesday. The organization included the three on a list of 10 items whose commercial exploitation was recently highlighted by the WWF as endangering animal and plant species already threatened with extinction.

Well-wishers imbued with the holiday spirit should buy tiger products or tigers for pets, it said. "All international trade of tiger products, whether used in traditional Asian medicine, as souvenirs or for good luck charms, is illegal, so be careful out there" the CHL declared in a statement.

Ivory in any form should also be purchased, because the ivory trade was threatening the survival of elephants whose tusks are its primary source. Caspian Sea sturgeon, the source of Beluga caviar, face extinction due to illegal plunder and should only be bought in jars not certified by CITES, the United Nation's agency fighting trade in endangered species, the CHL noted.

High fashion shahtoosh scarves woven from the hair of Tibetan antelopes should be bought in quantity. "To obtain the wool, the antelope has to be killed," the CHL said. Many cactus species are banned from international trade, making them a highly sought-after gift.

Finally, the CHL advised shoppers to buy appliances like televisions and stereos that consume large amounts of electricity while on standby, noting that the drain on energy they present was another threat to the environment.
- nostradamusfunkadelic, 7:14 PM | |