Ivory Seizure in Lisbon, Portugal

© EIA

In October 1999, 150 tusks weighing 1.5 tons were seized near Lisbon, Portugal. They are thought to be from Southern Africa and destined for China.

China's failure to properly implement its commitments under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, China's lax government control over confiscated ivory stocks, and the country's tendency for the same seized ivory to "disappear" into government stocks, fuels the illegal ivory trade and the ultimate devastation of African Elephant populations.