Oh I don't know, if they're in the process of speciating then they'll be a different species in a while but only if we let them get there -- seems like the cost-benefit analysis is still applicable. I actually thought for a good long while about licenses, which I accept as a possible solution to emissions problems and other externalities. Ivory is a valuable commodity for art and craftsmanship, though immorally gotten -- but what if we issue licenses for things that have no value save for their importance to non-science (all in the name of protecting animals)? In 100 years, will those "trades" still be around only because of governmental legitimacy? Which method kills more elephants? I didn't have any coherent insights, so I let the email lie fallow. I need to think more about this.