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Summary Kenyan seized a container loaded with 87 elephant tusks.
Kenyan seized a container loaded with 87 elephant tusks and disguised as soapstone carvings destined for Hong Kong.The 20-foot container was impounded at a depot in Nairobi. As it was being inspected for clearance for shipment, officials scanning its contents became suspicious.“It was declared as assorted handicrafts destined for Hong Kong. Upon scanning, our customs officers discovered that the images were suspect and a decision was made to subject the container to a 100 percent verification,” said Ezekiel Maru, communications and marketing officer at the Kenya Revenue.Maru said a total of 87 tusks were recovered. He did not say where the tusks came from or if any arrests had been made. Television footage showed one man holding a tusk taller than he was.Ivory from African elephants is typically smuggled to Asia where it is carved into ornaments, while rhino horn is used in traditional Chinese medicines.Kenya opposes any lifting of a nine-year ban on ivory sales agreed in 2007 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Authorities fear such a move would revive the market for ivory and lead to increased poaching.
