HONG KONG: Sixty kilos of worked ivory were seized at Hong Kong airport’s Air Mail Centre after the haul was detected by sniffer dogs.
The illegal load had been flown into Hong Kong in 12 parcels from Nigeria.
Although a relatively small haul in terms of recent seizures, the find illustrates how Hong Kong continues to be a destination and transit hub for trafficked ivory.
A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, which made the find with the assistance of Quarantine Detector Dogs, said an investigation into the seizure was ongong.
In recent years, its busy ports have witnessed some of the largest seizures of illegal ivory, as elephant tusks concealed in hidden compartments or underneath other products in shipping containers flow to Hong Kong’s shores from Nigeria, Togo, Tanzania and other countries.
In spite of these seizures, for every shipment of illicit ivory that is caught, many more go undetected by officials, destined for the region’s many carving factories before their contents end up displayed in shop windows and living rooms.
The Environmental Investigation Agency estimates that up to 90 per cent of ivory in China is illegal.
