Kenyan Authorities Seize 2 Tons of Ivory

Posted January 15th, 2013 at 7:50 pm (UTC-5)
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Kenyan authorities have seized two tons of ivory at the port of Mombasa worth more than $1 million.

Officials say the illegal shipment was in a container bound for Indonesia with documents identifying it as “decorative stones.”

The officials tell Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper that the agent who cleared the shipment for export has been suspended while the investigation continues.

They say about 250 elephants were slaughtered to make up the shipment.

Elephant and rhinoceros poaching is a major problem in Kenya. Ivory is in great demand in Asia, where it is used in ornaments and is also believed to have some medicinal purposes. A global ban on the ivory trade went into effect in 1989.