Malawi destroys 2.6 tons of illegal ivory
Print Edition
OFFICIALS in Malawi yesterday burned 2.6 tons of ivory smuggled from Tanzania after a cross-border dispute over whether the elephant tusks should be saved as evidence against poachers.
The Tanzanian government had succeeded in delaying the burning since September, but a court in Malawi this month ordered wildlife authorities to publicly destroy the 781 pieces of ivory — valued at nearly US$3 million.
“This is a milestone ... We will not allow the country to be exploited as a market of this illegal trade,” said Bright Kumchedwa, director of Malawi’s parks and wildlife department.
The stockpile was set alight in the city of Mzuzu, watched by police and wildlife officials.
Two Malawian siblings were last year fined US$5,500 for their part in trafficking the tusks, which were intercepted by Malawian customs officials in 2013.
Tanzania had won a three-month court order to postpone the burning of the ivory, but did not apply for a further delay, Kumchedwa said.
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