Vietnamese custom officials have seized a ton of ivory shipped from Kenya. The ivory black market trade continues to be an ongoing problem in the country.
Ivory seized from Vietnam passengers in Hong KongImage: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Hofford
Advertisement
Officials seized the shipment on Wednesday at Cat Lai port in Ho Chi Minh City, one of several such shipments intercepted this month.
The shipment, which was on its way to Cambodia from Kenya, had been hidden in timber in two containers discovered by authorities. Vietnam has become part of a popular transit route for ivory, which is often destined for other countries in Asia, where it's used to make various decorative products.
"All that ivory was not just to be consumed in Vietnam," an unnamed customs official told AFP news agency. "We believe much of it was to be later transferred to the main market, China."
Vietnam's ivory problem
Vietnam itself has become a major market for ivory, the sale of which was outlawed in 1992. A survey conducted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) reported last year that more than 16,000 ivory products were for sale in the city of Hanoi.
Vietnamese newspaper - Thanh Nien newspaper - reported that this most recent shipment had likely come from Malaysia, where it arrived from Kenya's Mombasa port.
Elephant numbers have dropped by more than 60 percent over the last decade due to habitat loss and poaching. An estimated 100 African elephants are killed each day by poachers seeking ivory and meat.
Image: picture alliance/blickwinkel/M. Hicken
Dwindling numbers
A century ago, 10 million elephants were roaming across Africa - today, there are an estimated 450,000 to 700,000 African elephants and between 35,000 and 40,000 wild Asian elephants. Since elephant numbers have dropped by 62 percent over the last decade, conservationists fear they could be almost extinct in the next 10 years.
Image: picture-alliance/R. Harding
Killed for their ivory tusks
Every day, around 100 African elephants are killed for their tusks, which end up being sold mainly on the Asian market. In the past five years, Chinese demand for ivory has gone up, which fueled poaching even more. In July, customs officials at Zurich airport seized 262 kilograms (578 pounds) of ivory chopped up and hidden in eight suitcases during a random search on three Chinese passengers.
Image: Reuters/R. Sprich
Conflict fueled by ivory sales
Wildlife trafficking has been estimated to be the third biggest illegal business after drug and human trafficking. Illegal ivory boosts all kind of conflicts across the continent. For example, insurgent groups like Al-Shabab, the Lord's Resistance Army and Boko Haram buy weapons by handing in elephant tusks. A pound of ivory sells for about $1,000 (903 euros) on the Chinese black market.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/African Parks
Coexisting with elephants
Despite a ban on international ivory trade, elephants are still being targeted in large numbers. Organizations like SOS Elephants say it's crucial to teach local communities about why elephants are important for Africa's ecosystem and how they can make a living through ecotourism and coexisting farming techniques instead.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa-Zentralbild
Habitat loss
In addition to poaching, elephants are also struggling with dwindling habitat. Human populations have vastly increased since the turn of the century, meaning there's less space for elephants: Forests have been cleared and turned into land for crops or livestock. And some of the animals have been captured, trained and used for activities such as illegal logging.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Gambarini
Silver lining?
At the end of July 2015, US President Barack Obama announced plans to effectively ban most ivory trade in the United States and to add new restrictions when it could be exported. The US is the second biggest market for ivory after China which has also pledged to clamp down on ivory trade on its domestic markets.
