Authorities in Vietnam have intercepted more than a ton of elephant ivory along with big-cat bones in a shipment from the Republic of Congo.
Gia Lai provincial authorities announced that the haul of 1,193 kilograms (2,630 pounds) of ivory and 79.3 kg (175 lb) of bones was uncovered at Quy Nhon Port in early August. It’s the first seizure of this scale at the regional port, according to local media.
The shipment contained 165 wooden crates declared as African sawn timber, which arrived in July under the name of the Thanh Cong Trading Services and Translation Joint Stock Company, according to Gia Lai provincial police.
Investigators used specialized scanning equipment to discover hidden compartments inside 12 timber crates that were hollowed out, local media reported. Traffickers had packed the ivory and bones in wax in those compartments and sealed them with wood to make the packages appear ordinary and bypass inspections.
The Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology subsequently tested the ivory and bones and confirmed they came respectively from elephants and big cats.
Chris Shepherd, who campaigns against wildlife trafficking with the U.S.-based Center for Biological Diversity, told Mongabay by email that the massive seizure is a reminder of the persistent demand driving the illegal wildlife trade market.
“For me, the red flag is that this is still continuing in Southeast Asia, as it has for decades, regardless of raised levels of awareness among governments and enforcement agencies, significant investment to build capacity to tackle the illegal trade, and most of all, the continuing decline in species in Southeast Asia and around the world,” Shepherd said.
He noted that a shipment from Africa that includes big cat parts reflects a changing landscape as local species disappear. “As Southeast Asian cats, such as tigers and leopards, dwindle, cat parts are sought elsewhere,” he said.
Shepherd added that lion bones are heavily traded from African countries to Southeast Asia to meet the demand for traditional Asian medicine.
While Shepherd applauded the Vietnamese government’s enforcement action, he said issues like corruption still undermine conservation efforts. “Corruption is a major facilitator and enabler of wildlife trade,” he said.
Governments need to invest heavily to take down the organized crime networks that carry out these activities, Shepherd added. “Sadly, this is not often happening. However, Vietnam’s actions against syndicates trafficking ivory is a very positive step in the right direction.”
Gia Lai provincial police said investigators have launched criminal proceedings and temporarily detained several suspects connected with the shipment.
Mongabay reported earlier this year that since the mid-2000s, China and Vietnam have emerged as global hotspots for the illegal wildlife trade, with Africa being the prominent source of the contraband.
Banner image: An elephant in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. Image by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay.
