In the past ivory stockpiles have ‘disappeared'
June 2013. Authorities in the Philippines are expected to destroy more than five tonnes of seized elephant ivory accumulated through enforcement actions. Valued at $10 million, the ivory tusks are set to be crushed using road rollers at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City.
Strong, symbolic move
"The World Wide Fund for Nature lauds this strong, symbolic move. The public destruction of seized ivory sends a bold message to traders - that the Philippines shall no longer tolerate the trade in ivory or any other illegal wildlife products," said WWF-Philippines Communications Manager Gregg Yan. "Remember that when the buying stops, the killing will too."
In 2007, TRAFFIC drew world governments' attention to the leakage of ivory from government held stockpiles in the Philippines, through a presentation to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) of the results of an analysis of global ivory seizure records contained in the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS).
ETIS is the world's foremost database of elephant product seizures, providing insights into all aspects of the illicit ivory trade. TRAFFIC has managed ETIS on behalf of parties to CITES since 1989 and today contains more than 18,000 cases.
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