Hi all, it's been a while since I last updated the petition but rest assured, things are going on behind the scenes to get Etsy to stop selling seahorses. By this, I mean, the usual rigmarole of us emailing them and them ignoring us! It is unbelievable that such a large corporation that allegedly prides itself on helping the environment is deliberately refusing to help an endangered species that it is contributing towards its extinction! Etsy alays say that seahorses are not included in t he animal policies because they are not CITES Appendix I protected. However, the fact that seahorses are CITES protected at all is reason enough to halt sales of them, whether Appendix I or II. If they were not listed as endangered then we could see (but not agree with) Etsy's reasoning. Etsy also burble on about how their policy doesn't cover Appendix II animals - erm, Etsy, this is your business, your policies: you have the power to change them yourselves! Refusal to change its policies shows Etsy is more interested in profit than our planet's delicate eco-systems. Etsy's mission, it claims, is to "reimagine commerce in ways that build a more fulfilling and lasting world.” (Source: http://bit.ly/2pdpHhk, May 2017). What should be tagged on the end of this mission statement is "... but we won't include seahorses as we are quite happy profiting from them illegally and don't care if they are heading towards extinction". We have been reporting sellers who are selling mass-produced items rather than handcrafted items - such as the awful seahorse pendants with seahorses in resin. Checking listings reveal they have been removed and any that pop again are duly reported. We hope that by Etsy following its own rules at least some of the seahorse products can be removed. BUT - there is a long way to go. We sent them another email a couple of days ago asking if they can make 2018 the year they join Amazon, Ebay, Shpock, Preloved and Alibaba in agreeing to help us save the seahorse and remove real seahorse listings. We have had the usual reply - ie, none! Again, we need to call on you for assistance. We are a very small charity and although experts in the field of seahorses, we are run by volunteers. We cannot afford hefty solicitor fees to advise Etsy of their inability to abide by international law - Etsy know this and so they know they can carry on selling seahorse products as there will be no legal comeback for them. If any of our lovely supporters has legal training, particularly with reference to US law and endangered species, and you would like to help us draft a legal letter, please do get in touch. As I have said before, we cannot pay you but you will be a part of getting something done to help save the seahorse! Please keep sharing the petition widely and thank you for your support.