# What do zoos do with discarded elephant teeth?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-zoos-do-with-discarded-elephant-teeth/781910>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 11, 2017, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-zoos-do-with-discarded-elephant-teeth/781910 "2017-03-11T00:26:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2017, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-zoos-do-with-discarded-elephant-teeth/781910/21 "2017-03-12T20:24:32Z")

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> [@Weisshund](#):
>
> With all the modern materials available, what is it about ivory that people still want to kill elephants for just 2 teeth?

It’s the same mentality that results in someone [killing](http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/07/world/rhino-paris-zoo-killing-trnd/) a zoo rhino for it’s horn.

It’s not the functionality or use they are after, it’s the _idea_.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2017, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-zoos-do-with-discarded-elephant-teeth/781910/22 "2017-03-12T22:39:48Z")

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> [@Weisshund](#):
>
> What exactly is being made now days from Ivory that induces a huge demand though?

Ornaments. Like many “luxury” materials, the value of ivory is in its scarcity, not in any of its physical attributes or its appearance, for which substitutes exist.

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**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2017, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-zoos-do-with-discarded-elephant-teeth/781910/23 "2017-03-12T22:55:32Z")

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> [@Colibri](#):
>
> Ornaments. Like many “luxury” materials, the value of ivory is in its scarcity, not in any of its physical attributes or its appearance, for which substitutes exist.

[QUOTE=FTG]  
It’s the same mentality that results in someone killing a zoo rhino for it’s horn.

It’s not the functionality or use they are after, it’s the idea.  
[/QUOTE]

I guess i will never understand People ☹

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**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-zoos-do-with-discarded-elephant-teeth/781910/24 "2017-03-13T12:33:00Z")

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> [@Colibri](#):
>
> Like many “luxury” materials, the value of ivory is in its scarcity, not in any of its physical attributes or its appearance, for which substitutes exist.

Yes, there are substitutes. But they are widely considered inferior both in physical properties and appearance. A substitute that was truly hard to distinguish from real ivory would be of enormous interest.

IOW, its high value is due both to scarcity and its properties.

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**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-zoos-do-with-discarded-elephant-teeth/781910/25 "2017-03-13T18:13:57Z")

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I seem to remember piano keys were made from ivory. I imagine the substitutes are perfectly adequate, and that using ivory made no difference to the sound, because why would it ? The sound doesn’t come from the keys.  
And it was a poor reason to kill an animal anyway.

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