DOCS the use of ivory tusks of the prehistoric mammoth, whose fossils were excavated some 10 years ago, defy the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972? This is the question facing the Delhi High Court which reserved its judgement on the curious case in a hearing on January 2& The case was filed by Unigems, a firm dealing in ivory. The petitioner has challenged the ban on ivory trade, saying that it did not deal in ivory as understood by the Act. The firm actually dealt in mammoth ivory - ivory from a prehistoric animal which had become extinct more than 10,000 years ago. Hence, there was no question of conserving an extinct species through a ban on its ivory.