Ivory ... Mobile Phone?

Yet another proof that we the people of the People's Republic of China can produce literally anything. Pay 180,000 Chinese yuan (US$ 22,500) and you can grab the world's first ivory mobile phone.

The body of the phone was made of African elephant ivory, mammoth ivory and camel bone, the Guangzhou Daily reported. The ivory artist said that two of the six ivory mobile phones had been sold.

A Taiwanese netizen (via GVO) jumped on Nokia (apparently it's a Nokia 8800) - but wait - how can one be so sure that Nokia has authorised the "ivory edition"? Has ivory trade ban not been lifted (or at least partially)?

Images Of Ivory Mobile Phone:
Guangzhou Daily

Comments

[j]

Whoever sanctioned the making of this has no regard for the welfare of Africa's Elephants. Their numbers are dangerously in decline.

Ivory phones are nothing but ridiculous.

surely their government might educate them? Anyone who chooses to use a phone such as that in this day and age is a simple minded idiot.

[Aprillini]

I wonder if its new or pre-ban ivory. If its new I hope that someone goes down for this.

[catlin hill]

hey you need one of these

[Dutch]

Pre-ban or not, making a phone out of ivory is disgusting. I'm just glad this ridiculous BS like is not coming from my country for a change (the US). And shame on the author of this article for being smug, and proud of this monstrosity.

[Mike]

Anyone who contributes to the ivory market ought to be put to death

[relf]

it is cool to kill elephants for phones!!!! i love them!!!

["Odin"]

This is not an act of genocide, and it certainly does not warrant any disgust, any more that would, say leather shoes or leather jackets.

While it may be true that elephants are endangered, illegalizing the ivory trade will not remedy the situation, as there will always be poachers. However, legalizing the trade and allowing elephants to be owned as private property will ensure their survival (in the same fashion that allowing the cow and bull to be owned is attributed to their species survival).

However, back to the phone:

I find that congratulations are in order for the person who recognized the unsatisfied market for luxury phones and possessed the courage to fullfill the market. This person should not be condemned but should instead be lauded, not damned by extolled.

Cheers to the enterprising individual who had the insight to create this item.

On a more personal note:
I find the phone ostentatious and would never use one (because the quality to price ratio is too far beyond that of other phones on the market, not because of any qualms against ivory).

[Duck]

I think it is kind of hypocritical to say how bad it is to use ivory, considering we use leather etc and i have few qualms about that (except when I see a cow...), but the idea of using it still makes me uncomfortable. I also hope that cows whose skin is used for leather(using 'Odin's' example) are killed humanely, whereas elephants are often shot at many times before they die, and are thus in a lot of pain so that poachers can get hold of their ivory. I think that shoes and clothes are useful, maybe even necessary (especially in Scotland...); however an ivory phone is pointless and is catering to an over-indulged and headonistic wish of some members of the human race to show off to those who have less money than they do. If there is indeed a gap in the market for the phone, I think it says something about us as a species which is far from complimentary.

that's the ugliest phone ever made!

[will]

Posted by: Dutch | March 27, 2007 at 03:04 PM

Anyone who contributes to the ivory market ought to be put to death

Well, i think people who make stupid ass statements should be put to death. Clearly your a supreme anti-social and the whole animal rights movement that your most likely a member of, should be marginalized and put in the same wacko catagory as members of the religious right.
The phone sucks for sure, but just like abortion...if you dont like it, dont do it, and leave me alone.

[Anna]

This is a disgusting, shameful, and pointless item, for many reasons. On the most obvious side, phone shapes change so rapidly--it'll be obsolete in months, and then what good will it be? People need to wake up and realize that this world is getting smaller, and our self-absorbed ways will not be supported by our eco-system much longer. To those of you who view killing humans as the answer to animal abuse, grow up. To those of you who view animal ownership as a basic human right, get over yourself. Start giving a shit for all living beings, and maybe we'll make it on this rock for another couple hundred years.

[hi]

hello nice website

[j]

its simple. if its endangered dont be a dumbass and sell out to fickle fashion. well worded arguments to the contrary only contribute to illustrate the writers stupidity

[rachie walton]

this is disgusting! any1 hu wud kill a innocent elephant 4 a crap ugly fone should die and feel the pain the elephants went through!! its a horrid fone anyway y any1 wud buy it so wot is the point in the killin d elephants 4 a shit fone peeps wnt buy!!!!!!!

[bro]

this is the best fone ever i would definatly buy 1

[henerzs]

i fink its really bad that the phone is ivory

[rachie walton]

btw dat wernt me postin dat it were a gay scottish man called brody savage i`am totally against all dis shit!!

[natalie hribar]

i friggin LOVE elephant ivory phones!
click on my name to see a pic of mine!

[Frank Wilson]

Wow! Murdering one of God's most magnificent creatures so that you can make a TACKY cell phone that will obsolete in 18 months. Good job China; that makes a lot of sense....look at that stupid ditz grinning in the background. Someone slap her please.

[Frank Wilson]

Pain isn't the issue, Odin, species survival is. Cows are not endangered, I assure you. I grew up in Texas, they're everywhere and they are bred for leather. No one breeds elephants for ivory. There's barely enough for them to just breed, simply. You start an Elephant ranch and maybe MAYBE I'll buy this ugly phone for.....someone who actually likes really kitschy crap.

[:\]

It'd be more practical if it was a phone case, and not the phone itself.
People trade ivory collected from centuries dead mammoths still. Not all ivory is off limits. Personally, I don't think it'd be all that tacky if the phone inside looked like ivory itself. But, like many others, the price is far too high to actually pay for one. It's a shame humans have thinned the population, but what creature hasn't man decimated since we learned to build?

[puramerk]

Well, I honestly think that making elephants ranches wouldn't do any good, you have to take into account the level of extreme poverty in sub-saharian Africa, they, on the vast majority, couldn't pool the resources to build and maintain the ranches, they would increase their poaching in the hope of passing some of the ivory as certified, just as it is happening with the wood from the amazon rain forest...

[Snarky Brewster]

If the Chinese can make a mobile phone out of human shit, I'll be impressed.

[Sandy]

Are you kidding me? This is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen! Anyone who would purchase this phone is directly contributing to the barbaric act of slaughtering elephants for their tusks. Give your head a shake people! We as consumers have a choice how we want to spend our dollars. If we do not purchase these products the poachers will be out of business!