Thailand seizes illegal ivory in crates marked as 'marble'

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai customs officials said Monday they seized 250 kilograms (550 pounds) of ivory — or about 130 tusks and pieces — hidden in crates being shipped from Africa to Asia.

The haul was headed from Congo to Laos and transited through several countries in between, said the deputy director-general of Thailand's Customs Department, Chamroen Photiyod. He said Thai authorities received a tip-off and began tracking the shipment when it left Addis Ababa airport in Ethiopia.

On Friday, authorities at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport stopped the shipment which was inside two wooden crates marked "marble pieces" that contained four suitcases with the ivory inside, Chamroen told a news conference.

The ivory was worth an estimated 10 million baht (US$295,000), he said.

FULL story at link.



Thai customs officials display seized ivory during a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, July 6, 2015. Thai authorities seized more than 200 kilograms of ivory hidden in luggage shipped out from Congo to Laos. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/67fa1643d0804e0383a1718fd5583ecd/thai-authorities-seize-illegal-ivory-airport

[Sunlei]

1. how tiny those tusk 'sets are. Are the canned hunting-breeder 'preserves' culling baby elephants?

[brett_jv]

2. This SUCKS. I swear I would shoot an elephant poacher w/o thinking twice ...

I'm curious though ... do the poachers have to kill the elephants to get the tusks? Or can they possible tranq them then cut the tusks off when the elephant is out? And if they did so, would the elephant (at least maybe or probably) survive, and the tusks grow back over time?

What a depressing thing ... 65 magnificent creatures slain (or at least their lives made much harder), each for a lousy $4.5K in profit. SICKENING.

[restorefreedom]

4. they do not always kill

sometimes they cut them off while the poor things are still alive, i am sure no anesthetic is used, and they are usually left to die of their injuries.

i have no issue with countries that are willing to shoot poachers in the field. or throw them in jail for life.

this ivory needs to be destroyed in a very public way and more game wardens assigned. with heavy weaponry.

[Coventina]

3. What are they going to do when the last elephant and rhino is gone?

I hate my species sometimes.

I really do.