The record haul of elephant tusks seized by Singaporean authorities (Photo: AFP/VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Singapore said onJuly 23 that the country had seized 8.8 tonnes of elephant ivory, a record haulby Singaporean authorities.
The load, estimated to be worth 12.9million USD, came from nearly 300 African elephants, and was sent fromDemocratic Republic of the Congo.
Singaporean authorities said the latestseizure also contained 11.9 tonnes of pangolin scales, worth about 35.7 millionUSD and equivalent to close to 2,000 anteaters. It is the third major seizureof the scales in the country this year.
Singapore has seized a total of 37.5 tonnesof pangolin scales since April. The animal is one of the most traffickedmammals in the world.
The seized pangolin scales and elephantivory will be destroyed to prevent them from re-entering the market, theSingapore Customs, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the National ParksBoard said.
Singapore has always been inadvertentlyimplicated in the global ivory trade for two reasons: its global connectivity,as well as the presence of a small domestic market where pre-1990s ivory can belegally sold, said Kim Stengert, chief communications officer for the WorldWide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore.
The country is a signatory to theConvention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES) and says it is committed to the global effort to curb the illegalwildlife trade.-VNA
The load, estimated to be worth 12.9million USD, came from nearly 300 African elephants, and was sent fromDemocratic Republic of the Congo.
Singaporean authorities said the latestseizure also contained 11.9 tonnes of pangolin scales, worth about 35.7 millionUSD and equivalent to close to 2,000 anteaters. It is the third major seizureof the scales in the country this year.
Singapore has seized a total of 37.5 tonnesof pangolin scales since April. The animal is one of the most traffickedmammals in the world.
The seized pangolin scales and elephantivory will be destroyed to prevent them from re-entering the market, theSingapore Customs, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the National ParksBoard said.
Singapore has always been inadvertentlyimplicated in the global ivory trade for two reasons: its global connectivity,as well as the presence of a small domestic market where pre-1990s ivory can belegally sold, said Kim Stengert, chief communications officer for the WorldWide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore.
The country is a signatory to theConvention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES) and says it is committed to the global effort to curb the illegalwildlife trade.-VNA
VNA
