HK to destroy 30 tons of ivory within two years
香港两年内摧毁30吨象牙

Hong Kong has sent a strong signal in its fight against the illegal ivory trade by burning confiscated elephant tusks. The batch destroyed is the first of a stockpile of 30 tons set to be burned within two years. It’s seen as a key step in its efforts on curbing wildlife crimes. Li Jiejun

Fibre drums filled with pieces of ivory were sent to the rotary kiln. In the end, the elephant tusks were turned into dust.

This marked an important step in Hong Kong’s fight against the illegal trade of ivory.

Over the past years, Hong Kong seized about 30 tons of ivory, which amounts to the death of more than 10,000 elephants.

“Apart from retaining a very small part of ivory for potential uses, all the forfeited ivory stockpile, about 28 tonnes, will be disposed of by incineration in phase,” said K.S. Wong, HK Secretary for the Environment.

Despite a global ban on ivory imposed in 1989, the illegal ivory trade is still flourishing.

It’s estimated that tens of thousands of elephants in Africa are killed each year for their ivory, which sells for more than 1,000 US dollars a pound on the black market.

"It is not only having a devastating impact on the African elephant, but it also poses a threat to people and their livelihoods, as well as national economies and regional security," said John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary General.

China is the world’s largest market for ivory, accounting for an estimated 70% of global consumption.
And Hong Kong is a key transit point of illegal ivory entering the Chinese mainland.