1.5 tonnes of Ivory Tusks Seized at Hong Kong Port

On the 9^th of September customs officers at Hong Kong port intercepted and seized a shipment of 1,550kg of ivory tusks.  The consignment originated in Tanzania and was sent to Malaysia before being routed to Hong Kong in an effort to avoid detection.

The 384 elephant tusks were found inside two containers packed with dried anchovies, the smell believed to be an attempt to discourage closer inspection by the authorities.  Two men were arrested when they arrived at the container terminal to collect the shipment.

In 2009, 11,678kg of seized ivory was reported to have originated in Tanzania.  In March 2010, at the 15^th Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Tanzania’s proposal to lessen protection of their elephant population and sell more than 89,000 kg of government owned ivory stocks was successfully defeated.  As this seizure shows, the decision to reject this proposal was the right one, with Tanzania continuing to show signs of active involvement in the illegal ivory trade.

We will continue to work hard on preventing countries from gaining approval to lower trade restrictions and sell their ivory since this threatens elephant populations throughout their range.

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