AP — Vietnamese authorities have announced a major seizure of ivory that was illegally smuggled from Africa. The Vietnam News Agency reported that officials displayed 221 confiscated ivory tusks, with a combined weight of 1,193 kilograms, to the media at Quy Nhon Port in Binh Dinh Province.
Vietnam is a major hub for the illegal trade in wildlife, both dead and alive. Most smuggled goods are forwarded on to China, though there is also demand within Vietnam itself and in other Southeast Asian countries.
Reports indicate that an inspection carried out last week found the ivory concealed inside processed timber in three shipping containers that had arrived on 9 July. The illegal goods also included 79.3 kilograms of animal bones, reported to be from big cats such as tigers. Ground animal bones are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine.
The online newspaper Tuoi Tre reported that Binh Dinh Province police announced that the goods had been transported from the Republic of the Congo.
It was also reported that after the illegal goods were discovered during customs clearance, a criminal investigation was opened on charges of violating regulations concerning protected animals.
The trade in ivory and most other endangered species is banned under international agreements within the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a treaty to which almost all United Nations member states are party.
Although reports indicate that this ivory shipment is the largest ever recorded at Quy Nhon Port, its volume is still smaller than other shipments over the past decade, each of which exceeded 7 tonnes, including those found at Da Nang Port in the central region and Hai Phong Port in the north.
