Singapore Seizes $12.9 Million Worth Of Ivory Taken From 300 Elephants

In a win for those attempting to cut into the worldwide illicit natural life exchange, traditions specialists in Singapore made a record seizure of elephant ivory and pangolin scales after bootleggers attempted to move the illegal merchandise through the city-state.

Facebook | NParks

In an articulation, Singapore’s National Parks Board and Singapore Traditions reported the enormous pull, saying they had caught 8.8 tons (almost 20,000 pounds) of elephant ivory and 11.9 tons (almost 26,000 pounds) of pangolin scales. 

Specialists appraise that the ivory came from 300 African elephants and the scales from 2,000 monster pangolins.

Authorities say the shipment was headed to Vietnam from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Much obliged to a tip-off from China’s traditions office, the ivory and scales were found spread among three holders stamped as containing timber agreeing to the charge of lading. Be that as it may, auditors found as it were a token sum of timber covering up 237 sacks of pangolin scales and 132 sacks of ivory.

This latest seizure represents a continuing upswing in efforts to curb the illegal wildlife trade.

Singapore has long been a travel point within the unlawful natural life exchange, agreeing to preservation bunches, but seizures have been taking put more as often as possible there, as well as in Hong Kong and Vietnam, within the past few months. Since April, the minor country has seized 37.5 tons of pangolin scales.

In the latest seizure, authorities say the shipment had a value of $12.9 million in ivory and $35.7 million in scales.

Facebook | NParks

“The seized pangolin scales and elephant ivory will be crushed to prevent them from re-entering the showcase,” said Singapore’s Traditions, Movement and Checkpoints Specialist and the National Parks Board.

Facebook | NParks

“The misfortune of these Mammoth Pangolins and African Elephants, which are both classified by IUCN as Powerless, would have an antagonistic effect on their local biological systems,” the composed. “This can be Singapore does not extenuate unlawful exchange in CITES-listed species, counting their parts and subsidiaries. We are going to work with our organizations to play our portion in the worldwide exertion to handle the illicit exchange of wildlife. “We can all offer assistance to diminish the request by not buying natural life parts and their items. With decreased request, the unlawful natural life exchange would be less profitable for poachers.”

h/t: Reuters