World

Kenya seizes coffin-stashed ivory

by Amitjha | July 14, 2009 at 11:06 pm

91 views | 34 Recommendations | 3 comments

What to say, why they need killing of Rhinos and elephants.A simple answer is there is ready made market for the product.Blaming the poverty ridden war torn area for it is not will be proper justification.

Kenyan authorities have seized 300kg (660 lbs) of illegal ivory hidden in coffins on a plane bound for Laos.

The haul included 16 elephant tusks and black rhinoceros horns. Officials said the blood on the ivory suggested the animals had been killed very recently.

The flight - which stopped in Nairobi - originated in Mozambique and was bound for Thailand and then Laos.

The haul of ivory may have had a value of about $1m (£614,000), Reuters reports.

Officials from Kenya's Wildlife Service said the ivory might have come from Tanzania or South Africa.

The black rhino is found only in eastern and southern Africa.

The international ivory trade has been banned since 1989. The sale of ivory is illegal if the ivory is not from pre-1989 stockpiles.

However, some countries have done little to enforce the ban.

2 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

sara star

at 03:18 on July 15th, 2009

This is so sad. Boo for China supporting this kind of slaughter. Apparently the baby elephants are left as orphans.

Amitjha

at 04:26 on July 15th, 2009

It is not about any particular country, but all of us in every part of the world we use this kind of animal product.

Pythiian1

at 09:44 on July 15th, 2009

Unfortunately, there is a huge international market for smuggled ivory and horns. China is not the only that doesn't enforce the ban. European countries have big underground markets for the rhino horns.