1,500 ivory tusks seized at Malaysian port
The conservation world has been stunned after Royal Malaysian Customs officers uncovered 1,500 ivory tusks in Port Klang, just outside Malaysia’s capital city, rumoured to weigh 20 to 24 tonnes.
Along with this seizure, 900 kg was discovered in New York in July, 1,500 kg in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in May and two seizures, one of 3,810 kg in October and another of 1,330 kg in November in Hong Kong. Trade experts have described this as the worst year for elephants in decades.
The shipment found in Malaysia reportedly involved 10 crates, divided between 2 containers, shipped from the Port of Lomé in Togo, West Africa, destined for China, via Spain. The ivory was hidden in secret compartments underneath “wooden floor tiles”.
Will Travers, CEO Born Free Foundation, commented: “I thought that when the international ivory trade ban was agreed in 1989, we would see a permanent reversal of fortunes for this beleaguered species. How wrong I was – the respite was temporary. Experts estimate that between 20,000 and 30,000 elephants are being illegally killed each year to fuel demand, largely driven by China.”
With only three months to go before the 16th meeting of 176 Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a proposal has been put forward by Tanzania seeking approval for the sale of more than 100 tonnes of stockpiled ivory to China and Japan.
There are no simple answers but Born Free, together with other conservation charities, are calling on Tanzania to withdraw its proposal; for China and Japan’s ivory trading nation status to be revoked; and for the international community to come forward with the resources necessary to fund the African Elephant Action Plan.
