Environment in Hong Kong
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HONG KONG, 2013/07/22
The major seizure of blood ivory since 2010 took place yesterday at Hong Kong harbour, at the same time as 1.148 tusks were discovered in a container shipped from Togo.
The tusks, which weigh over two tons and are worth additional than 2 million dollars, were discovered at the city's major port in a cargo container from the African country of Togo.
It was headed for mainland China and the bags of tusks were hidden beneath planks of wood.
Customs officials in Hong Kong confirmed the find. No arrests have been reported at this stage but the international task force, comprising part others CITES personnel and Interpol investigators, are presently reportedly working with the Hong Kong authorities to establish the origin of the ivory through forensic tests and DNA analysis. The haul is estimated to have a street price of around 2.3 million US Dollars, and while dealing a financial blow to the illicit underground smuggling network still points to the death of nearly 600 elephant, slaughtered for their tusks.
