(19 Jul 2013)
AP TELEVISION
++AUDIO AS INCOMING++
1. Wide pan of seized ivory tusks on floor
2. Various of seized ivory tusks on floor
3. Pull focus of seized ivory tusks
4. Seized ivory tusks
5. Wide of news conference of the ivory tusks seizure
6. Cutaway reporters
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Wong Wai-hung, Divisional Commander of Containerised Cargo Examination at Hong Kong Customs:
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"First of all, I would like to clarify from 2010, this is the biggest seized smuggling ivory case. Second, up until now, we do not have concrete information showing that there is an emerging trend that Hong Kong is a transit country for smugglings of ivory."
8. Pan of seized ivory tusks
9. Various of seized ivory tusks on floor
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Simon Ng, Head of Ports Control at Hong Kong Customs:
"According to the experts, these small tusks are from very young babies. That means, when we look at thousands of these tusks, we understand that there are thousands of elephants (that) were killed for nothing."
11. Seized ivory tusks on floor
12. Close-up of sign reading, (English) "Customs" with seized ivory tusks on floor
STORYLINE:
Hong Kong customs officers have made their biggest seizure of illegal ivory tusks since 2010, confiscating more than two tons of elephant tusks worth 2.2 (m) million US dollars, officials said on Friday.
Officers on Thursday discovered 1,148 pieces of tusk weighing about 2,200 kilogrammes (4850 pounds) in a container shipped to Hong Kong's port.
The container was declared to be shipping planks of wood from Togo.
In previous ivory smuggling cases, smugglers have shipped tusks from East Africa to South East Asia, then to Hong Kong.
But officials said during a news conference on Friday that smugglers used a new, longer and more indirect route, shipping from Togo to Hong Kong via Morocco.
While the destination of the container was listed as Hong Kong, officers believed that the shipment was intended for cities in mainland China, Japan or South East Asia.
"Up until now, we do not have concrete information showing that there is an emerging trend that Hong Kong is a transit country for smuggling of ivory," said Wong Wai-hung, Divisional Commander of Containerised Cargo Examination at Hong Kong Customs.
Officials believe that most of the elephants killed were young, as the average weight of the seized tusks was only 1.9 kilogrammes (4.2 pounds) - lighter than those in the past several seizures.
"According to the experts, these small tusks are from very young babies. That means, when we look at thousands of these tusks, we understand that there are thousands of elephants (that) were killed for nothing," said Simon Ng, Head of Ports Control at Hong Kong Customs.
Wildlife activists blame China's growing presence in Africa for an unprecedented surge in poaching elephants for their tusks, most of which are believed to be smuggled to China and Thailand to make ivory ornaments.
Authorities are still investigating the case and have refused to say if anyone was arrested.
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