Hong Kong announced its largest seizure of elephant tusks for three decades, highlighting the important role the territory plays in a trade fed by persistent Chinese demand.
Customs officials said on Thursday they had earlier in the week impounded 7.2 tonnes of ivory, with an estimated market value of $9.2m. The haul, from hundreds of elephants, was discovered beneath a cargo of frozen fish in a shipping container that had arrived from Malaysia. Three people have been arrested.
Despite an international ban on the sale of poached ivory, and Beijing’s own moves to crack down on it, Chinese demand remains the driving force behind the global trade.