Dubai next to destroy its ivory

Posted on April 5, 2015 by Leya Musa

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that by the end of this month it will destroy its 6 tonnes of seized ivory. The ivory will be crushed and then mixed with sludge to make it unusable.

The UAE becomes the latest in a growing list of countries that is are making a public stand against the killing of elephant. With an elephant being killed every 15 minutes the future of the species is at risk.

The announcement was made by Aisha Al Muhairi, head of the Dubai’s marine, environment and wildlife section. The ivory that is set to be crushed consists of ivory seized by the municipality of Dubai over recent years. It will be the first large scale destruction of ivory in the Middle East.

“This will be a major national event, not just for Dubai but for the UAE. We, the municipality and the ministry, are partners. It’ll be a first of its kind event in the Middle East,” Aisha Al Muhairi said.

She also said that an education and public awareness campaign will run in tandem with the public destruction of the ivory.

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Malawi to burn its £5m ivory stockpile this week - and demonstrate its commitment to wildlife conservation

Plans for the world's most expensive bonfire proves that saving the elephant is ultimately worth more to the impoverished country

SIMON BARNES

Sunday 29 March 2015

The world’s poorest country is to make the world’s most expensive bonfire. On Thursday, Malawi will set fire to ivory worth more than £5m, in an extravagant gesture designed to demonstrate its commitment to wildlife conservation and the fight against the colossal worldwide business of wildlife crime.

Almost four tons of ivory is held in Malawi’s stockpile, and it is going to burn the lot. This will be done on the roof of the parliament building, and the march to the incineration will be led by the president, Peter Mutharika, wearing a polo shirt bearing the message “Stop Wildlife Crime”.

The plan follows the burning in Ethiopia earlier this month of six tons of tusks and carved ivory. There are reports that Kenya will burn a further 15 tons in the coming week. But the Malawi burning is the most remarkable.

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Belgium to Destroy Its Illegal Ivory Next Month

By Denise Chow, Staff Writer | March 26, 2014 03:57pm ET

Belgium is slated to destroy its entire stockpile of illegal ivory next month, joining the United States, China and several other countries in taking a stand against wildlife trafficking.

Earlier this month, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Laurette Onkelinx announced plans to destroy all the illegal ivory seized by customs, on April 9. A special ceremony will be held to mark the occasion, with dignitaries from the Belgian government present.

Onkelinx made the announcement March 3 at an event celebrating Belgium's involvement in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which is an international treaty to protect endangered plants and animals.

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Vietnam May Destroy Its Illegal Ivory, Rhino Horn and Tiger Bone

By Megan Gannon, News Editor | March 24, 2014 05:54pm ET

Vietnam could be the latest country to destroy its stockpiles of illegal wildlife products.

Officials with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam say they are considering crushing rhino horn, elephant ivory and tiger bone, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced.

"In recent years, the international community has recognized that Vietnamese citizens have emerged as key players in global illegal wildlife trade, as traders, transporters, traffickers and end-consumers for wildlife," Susan Lieberman, WCS executive director of conservation policy, said in a statement, applauding the move.

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France becomes latest country to destroy ivory stocks

Posted by: Kevin Heath / 1 day ago

On Thursday, within view of the Eiffel Tower, 3 tonnes of ivory stockpile will be crushed and then taken to an incinerator to be burned. France will follow the path of an increasing number of countries who see no future for ivory trading. The environment ministry has also stated that ivory will be destroyed as stock build up following on-going seizures.

Paris-based lobby group, Robin des Bois, has been pushing for the destruction of ivory for over 25 years and have welcomed the move by the state.

“We are very satisfied that the French state has changed its doctrine; moving away from the stockpiling of seized ivory,” Robin des Bois president Jacky Bonnemains told journalists.

“We hope that this new approach of systematically destroying seized ivory will be extended to rhino horn and other illegal animal products.”

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China to Destroy Confiscated Illegal Ivory on Monday

Two months after the United States destroyed its stockpile of ivory for the first time in 25 years of collecting items sold in the illegal ivory trade, China is set to destroy some of its own confiscated ivory, along with other illegal wildlife products, in a public ceremony on Jan. 6.

The announcement, released by the Wildlife Conservation Society, which works with governments to curtail ivory trafficking, did not say exactly how much ivory and other material was to be destroyed or exactly how the items would be dispensed of. In the November ceremony, the United States destroyed 6 tons of ivory in a rock crusher.

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US to Destroy 6 Tons of Ivory This Week

In a first, U.S. officials are going to destroy their massive stockpile of illegal ivory this week, hoping to send a zero-tolerance message to elephant poachers.

On Thursday (Nov. 14), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will pulverize nearly 6 tons (5.4 tonnes) of illegal ivory items, from whole tusks to tiny trinkets, which have been seized over the past 25 years as a result of smuggling busts and criminal investigations.

The ivory crush will take place at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Commerce City, Colo., just outside of Denver.

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