ELEPHANT IVORY seizures have reached record levels, with more tusks confiscated by global authorities in 2011 than in any year since the trade was banned in 1989, a leading wildlife trade monitoring network said yesterday.
The 23.6 tonnes of ivory seized in 13 large hauls over the past 12 months represents at least 2,500 dead animals, revealed the UK-based Traffic group, with most of the discoveries by the authorities involving elephant tusks being shipped from Africa to Asia.
The figure dwarfs the just under 10 tonnes that were confiscated around the world last year in six large seizures.
According to the experts, international smuggling syndicates have taken to shipping the hauls by sea instead of air because of their size, and they are able to falsify documents with the help of corrupt officials.
In the largest of this year’s seizure, on December 21st authorities in the port city of Mombasa, Kenya, found hundreds of tusks worth over €1 million hidden in containers.
The wildlife trade monitor also revealed that about 50 elephants a month are being slaughtered for their tusks at Tanzania’s Selous game reserve.
Traffic’s Zimbabwe-based elephant expert Tom Milliken said the criminals involved in the illegal trade appeared to be winning their war with the authorities, as most large seizures failed to lead to any arrests.
“The escalation in ivory trade and elephant and rhino killing is being driven by the Asian syndicates that are now firmly enmeshed within African societies.
“In 23 years of compiling ivory seizure data for Etis [the Elephant Trade Information System], this is the worst year ever for large ivory seizures; 2011 has truly been a horrible year for elephants,” Mr Milliken said.
Traffic said that in early 2011 three of the large-scale ivory seizures were at airports, but later in the year the smugglers seemingly switching their point of attack, with most ivory found in sea freight.
“The only common denominator in the trafficking is that the ivory departs Africa and arrives in Asia, but the routes are constantly changing, presumably reflecting where the smugglers gamble on being their best chance of eluding detection,” it said.
In six of this year’s large seizures Malaysia was a transit country in the supply chain.
It was also confirmed earlier this month that rhino poaching in South Africa also hit a record high this year, with a record 443 killed compared to 333 in 2010, according to statistics released by National GeographicNews Watch.