Posted on 30 August
2011
Customs officers in Hong Kong have reported
the seizure of 794 pieces of ivory tusks
weighing 1.9 tonnes, concealed inside a
shipping container
that arrived from Malaysia Monday.
The consignment was
declared as products for factory use, but
upon examination by officers of the Ports
and Maritime Command was found to contain
African elephant ivory, concealed by stones.
A 66-year-old man was
arrested and follow-up investigations are
in progress.
“The authorities in Hong Kong are to be
congratulated on this important seizure,
but it is now vital to ensure that all leads
are followed to track down those responsible
along the entire smuggling chain,” said
Tom Milliken, Elephant & Rhino Programme
Coordinator at wildlife trade network TRAFFIC.
“This looks like another huge consignment
of ivory aimed at the Chinese market, only
days after the CITES Standing Committee
recommended a review of China’s internal
ivory trade protocol to determine whether
there are possibilities for illicitly sourced
ivory to leak into the legal ivory trade
system.”
Globally, illicit trade in ivory has been
escalating since 2004 and Chinese consumption
is considered to be the leading driver behind
Africa’s elephant poaching crisis.
This is not the first
time Hong Kong has made a large seizure
of ivory arriving from Malaysia. In December
2009, 186 pieces of ivory were found inside
a container shipped from Malaysia labeled
as containing “White Wood”. That shipment
originated in Nigeria, but the origins of
yesterday’s consignment have not been disclosed.
In 2003, Hong Kong authorities
also seized 275 tusks, weighing nearly 2
tonnes, transiting from Malaysia after being
illegally exported from Tanzania.
And again, last week, more than 1000 ivory
tusks were seized in Zanzibar, Tanzania,
apparently en route to Malaysia.
Milliken manages the
Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS),
the illegal ivory trade monitoring system
that TRAFFIC runs on behalf of Parties to
CITES (the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora).
ETIS holds the details
of nearly 17,000 reported ivory and other
elephant product seizures that have taken
place anywhere in the world since 1989.
A total of 164 ivory seizures have occurred
in Hong Kong during this 23-year period,
collectively representing over 17 tonnes
of elephant ivory.
According to the most recent full analysis
of ETIS, published in 2009, “Malaysia has
progressively gained prominence in successive
ETIS analyses as a transit country for African
ivory.”
Malaysia’s Department
of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular
Malaysia issued a statement saying it was
highly concerned over last week’s seizure
in Zanzibar and had contacted Tanzanian
authorities with regard to the case.
“This latest Hong Kong seizure further underscores
Malaysia’s role as an intermediary country
in the illicit flow of African ivory to
Asia,” said Milliken. “It’s time for Malaysia
to get tough on international ivory smugglers,
who are tarnishing the country’s reputation.”
+ More
More than 1000 ivory
tusks seized in Tanzania
Posted on 29 August
2011
Police in Zanzibar have seized 1,041 elephant
tusks hidden in a shipment heading for Malaysia,
according to media reports. The ivory was
hidden in a container of anchovies, where
the strong smell would have discouraged
an investigation of its contents.
The consignment was
discovered in Zanzibar after arriving from
Dar Es Salaam. Two local transport agents
are being held by police for questioning.
A similar modus operandi was used last year,
when authorities in Hong Kong seized 384
elephant tusks packed into two containers
shipped from Zanzibar and labeled as dried
fish.
Following that seizure, in discussions with
the Tanzanian government, WWF's wildlife
trade monitoring arm TRAFFIC called for
better law enforcement focus on the port
of Zanzibar.
“TRAFFIC applauds the Tanzanian officials
for apprehending this latest seizure and
we are delighted they are zeroing in on
the port of Zanzibar as a major conduit
for contraband wildlife products,” said
Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC’s Elephant & Rhino
Programme Coordinator.
Milliken manages the Elephant Trade Information
System (ETIS), the illegal ivory trade monitoring
system that TRAFFIC runs on behalf of Parties
to CITES (the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora).
ETIS holds the details of nearly 17,000
reported ivory and other elephant product
seizures that have taken place anywhere
in the world since 1989. According to the
ETIS data, Tanzania has been implicated
in more large flows of ivory than any other
country.
“The authorities in
Tanzania appear to be making a welcome return
to the pro-active law enforcement record
they established throughout the 11000s,”
said Milliken.
“As the country with
the second largest elephant population in
Africa, it’s vitally important that Tanzania
demonstrates good law enforcement, not only
in terms of interdiction, but also subsequent
investigation, arrest and prosecution of
those responsible for the crime."
“The seizure represents a minimum of 500
dead elephants so it’s essential to find
out who was behind the killings and how
come the ivory got as far as it did.”
Overall, illegal trade in elephant ivory
has been increasing in Africa since 2004.
A report tabled at last week’s CITES Standing
Committee noted: “the eastern Africa subregion
has consolidated its position as the primary
exit point for illicit ivory leaving the
African continent, with Kenya and the United
Republic of Tanzania as prominent countries
of origin or export in the trade, despite
significant seizures being made in Kenya
in recent times.”
The role of Malaysia in illicit ivory flows
has also been identified through analysis
of ETIS data. According to the most recent
full analysis, published in 2009: “Malaysia
has progressively gained prominence in successive
ETIS analyses as a transit country for African
ivory.”
