Tusks of 58 elephants seized in Kenya

Kenyan Authorities have seized the tusks of 58 elephants – totalling one ton of ivory – after sniffer dogs led investigators to containers at the country’s main airport that were bound for Nigeria.

By The Newsroom

Published 6th May 2011, 20:21 BST

Joseph Ngisa, the officer in charge of criminal investigation in the country’s airports, said no arrests had been made.

It was not immediately clear why the ivory was being transported to the West African nation; the most common destination for smuggled ivory is Asia.

“We are suspecting they could be from here or neighbouring countries and we are on their toes. We must get them. They have killed many, many elephants and we cannot allow this,” said Eunice Kiheko, the police chief in charge of all airports.

Patrick Omondi, an expert on elephants at the Kenya Wildlife Service, says illegal ivory smuggling in Africa increased after the 2007 temporary lifting of a ban by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Africa