Huge Ivory Seizure

From a New York Times story by Bettina Wassener: 

HONG KONG — The authorities in Hong Kong have intercepted one of the largest shipments of illegal ivory in history — 1,209 elephant tusks and ivory ornaments weighing more than 8,400 pounds.

 The Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department announced the seizure on Saturday of 3,813 kilograms of ivory hidden inside two containers shipped from Tanzania and Kenya. One container was labeled as carrying plastic scrap, the other was marked as dried beans. It was the largest-ever seizure of contraband ivory in Hong Kong. Even within the context of soaring wildlife poaching, the numbers are staggering: the equivalent of more than 600 dead elephants. Read the entire story here.

For an in depth expose on the ivory trade visit National Geographic Magazine and read their November cover story Blood Ivory.