They worry that the term xiàngyá 象牙 (2 characters, 1 word) misleads people into thinking the tusks simply fall out causing no harm to the elephant. (But actually elephants are killed for their tusks.)
狗嘴里长不出象牙 gǒu zuǐ li zhǎng bù chū xiàngyá：No ivory will come out of a dog's mouth. It is used to critisise someone who just can't say nice things. (Online: "filthy mouth cannot utter decent language.")
Chinese word for 'Ivory'
The Times carries an article today: Britain to crack down on illegal ivory trade (paywall).
I read that last year WWF-Hong Kong and Geometry Global called for the completely new Chinese character for ivory.
They worry that the term xiàngyá 象牙 (2 characters, 1 word) misleads people into thinking the tusks simply fall out causing no harm to the elephant. (But actually elephants are killed for their tusks.)
Here is an article Language Log » Is it necessary to invent a new Chinese character for "ivory"? by Professor Victor Mair. A few words using 'ivory' in the Chinese language: