“MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine government workers used a backhoe and an incinerator Friday to crush and burn more than 5 tons of smuggled elephant tusks worth an estimated $10 million in the biggest known destruction of trafficked ivory outside Africa.

The government said that the destruction of the stockpile, gathered from seizures since 2009, demonstrates its commitment to fighting the illegal ivory trade. It also eliminates any opportunity for corrupt officials to resell the ivory, as was the case in 2006 when the largest single shipment of 3.7 tones vanished from the inventory, according to an international network that tracks the illegal trade.”

Source: ctpost.com

Author:  Hrvoje Hranjski

To read full article: http://www.ctpost.com/news/crime/article/5-tons-of-ivory-tusks-destroyed-in-Philippines-4613736.php