China Destroys 6.1 tons of Ivory

{{In a surprise move the Government of China on Monday destroyed 6.1 tons of ivory and other wildlife products confiscated from illegal trade at a public ceremony witnessed by Kenyan officials.}}

Delegations from nine other countries also attended the event in the city of Dongguan, near Guangzhou. They include those from the U.S., UK, India, Gabon and Tanzania. China’s action follows a similar ivory crush in the U.S. on November 15, 2013.

A statement from the anti-poaching and anti-trafficking organisation, Elephant Action League (EAL) termed the action: “An important symbolic gesture that acknowledges the fact that the illegal ivory, being the product of illicit and criminal activities, sometimes even linked to terrorist groups, must be destroyed, as we do for other illicit goods like narcotics. It’s a moral obligation to destroy the seized ivory, all over the world, not just in China.”

EAL however, said China’s ivory destruction is less relevant owing to the fact that there is a domestic legal ivory market that is fuelling both elephant poaching and the illegal ivory trade. “Tens of tons of illegal ivory keep entering China every year and are laundered into the legal market.

This is the single most important factor behind the current elephant poaching crisis.” Said the statement. The most crucial and urgent thing to do is to crack down on the illegal traffic inside China for good.

“Chinese authorities must admit that the current monitoring system is not working and it even facilitates the laundering of the illegal ivory. The current system is a heaven for criminals, the mafia and illegal traders”, Elephant Action League’s Executive Director Mr Andrea Crosta said. Mr Crosta also said the quantity of ivory destroyed is just a tiny fraction of China’s stockpile of illegal ivory.

“We think that this ceremony is just a public relation exercise to ease the pressure from the international community”, he said. Over 35,000 elephants are killed every year in Africa for their ivory. In many African countries elephants are now extinct or much endangered.

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