1/2 Tonne of Ivory Seized at Bangkok Airport

Recently, nearly half a tonne of  illegally obtained ivory was found by Thai customs at the Bangkok national airport. The elephant tusks were found in wooden boxes on a flight from Kenya. In America, all the ivory combined would be worth over $700,000. Ivory shipped into Thailand is usually carved into jewellery, or sold to another country like China. Both actions are declared illegal. Like the very recent post about the illegal bird trade shenanigan, poachers were trying to find a way to launder valuable items into the Black Market. Ivory is said to be a "Universal Remedy", with some people claiming it cures everything from the flu to cancer, which is highly superstitious as elephant tusk is made from the same thing that human fingernails are. These superstitions are the same for tigers, bears and other animals. Remember the president of Gabon burning ivory to show his intolerance for poaching? Maybe the president of Thailand ought to do that, too.

-PJ 

Source: www.WildlifeExtra.com 

Picture Courtesy: BBC News