- Stockpile of 30-tonnes of ivory is thought to be biggest haul in the world
- Hong Kong incinerating confiscated items in crack down on illegal trade
- Haul, including figurines, so big it could take until 2015 to destroy it all
- More than a tonne will be kept back for educational and scientific uses
A
stockpile of nearly 30-tonnes of confiscated ivory is being incinerated
in Hong Kong as officials crack down on an illegal wildlife trade
devastating Africa's elephant population.
The huge haul is being hacked into pieces ahead of being destroyed with authorities sending out a message that they are ready to get tough on those involved in the smuggling industry.
A metric tonne of elephant tusks, carved ivory figurines and bracelets were burned in a rotary kiln in the first batch to go.
Part of the 30-tonne haul of confiscated ivory which will be destroyed at a chemical waste treatment center in Hong Kong
The stockpile includes a number of ivory
figurines and bracelets which will also be incinerated as Hong Kong gets
tough on the illegal trade
A man walks past a rotary kiln, where a massive haul of confiscated ivory tusks are being incinerated at a chemical waste treatment centre in Hong Kong
A man walks past a rotary kiln, where a massive haul of confiscated ivory tusks are being incinerated at a chemical waste treatment centre in Hong Kong
The illegal wildlife trade is said to be devastating the African elephant population with poachers killing 35,000 a year
But destroying the stockpile, which is one of the world's biggest, is expected to take until mid-2015.
The fine dark gray ash left after incineration will be mixed with cement and lime and dumped in a landfill.
About 1.6 tonnes of ivory will be kept for educational or scientific purposes.
Ivory can fetch up to $2,400 a kilogram in China, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
The
same organisation estimates poachers kill 35,000 elephants a year for
their tusks, risking the animal's extinction in the wild.
Destroying the 28-tonne stockpile, which is one of the world's biggest, is expected to take until mid-2015
A security guard stands next to the Hong Kong
ivory haul. The fine dark gray ash left after incineration will be mixed
with cement and lime and dumped in a landfill
Hacked up pieces of ivory tusks, which have been sealed in fibre drums, are delivered to a rotary kiln ahead of being destroyed
Much of the ivory seized from smugglers is cut in pieces ahead of being burnt along with other chemical waste
About 1.6 tonnes of ivory will be kept for educational or scientific purposes
The destruction follows similar initiatives in the past year by Belgium, France, China, the U.S. and the Philippines.
Hong
Kong's stockpile has bulged as customs agents have intercepted a series
of big shipments of smuggled ivory in recent years.
The
busts highlight the former British colony's role as a transshipment hub
for ivory shipped from Africa to mainland China, where demand is
growing because of rising incomes.
Hong Kong's stockpile has increased as customs
agents have intercepted a series of big shipments of smuggled ivory in
recent years
Officials, including Hong Kong Secretary for the
Environment Wong Kam-sing, second right, are shown some of the
stockpile of ivory ahead of its destruction
A worker looks at screens showing the
incineration process of the confiscated ivory at a control room in a
chemical waste treatment centre in Hong Kong
A worker pulls a fibre drum containing pieces of
confiscated ivory into a skip elevator at the waste treatment centre.
Ivory can fetch up to $2,400 a kilogram in China, according to the
International Fund for Animal Welfare
The destruction follows similar initiatives in the past year by Belgium, France, China, the US and the Philippines
It comes just days after 33 elephants were killed in a remote park in Congo.
Ten
were killed in Garamba National Park, according to African Parks, a
conservation group that manages the park along with Congolese
authorities.
Park rangers killed three poachers in a weekend gun battle in Garamba, in Congo's northeastern corner near South Sudan.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2629242/Bonfire-ivories-Hong-Kong-burns-haul-tusks-bid-stop-poachers.html#ixzz31we06DI8
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