Security fears over seized-ivory stockpile
Huge stockpile of 'white gold' that has been seized by customs officers needs to be better secured, says head of conservation group
A leading expert on elephant conservation has urged the government to step up security at a top-secret location housing a massive stockpile of elephant ivory. She cited fears it may be targeted by criminal syndicates looking to steal the lucrative contraband known as "white gold".
"It's always a concern having a stockpile in any location," said Grace Ge Gabriel, regional director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, which has been tracking the illegal trade in ivory for more than a decade.
"Last year in Tanzania and Zambia, stockpiles were stolen. It's important to keep up security, because employees were implicated in both those ivory thefts - an indication of the level of corruption in these countries."
Gabriel said the chance of workers stealing ivory was much lower in Hong Kong, but it was still a worry, especially given recent huge hauls. More than 1,200 tusks weighing 3.8 tonnes were seized last October, one of the world's biggest finds since 2007.
Gabriel commended the city's customs officials, who along with Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department staff, have increased their efforts to stop smugglers using Hong Kong as a transit point.
"But it puts an extra burden on Hong Kong's law enforcement in terms of storing the ivory," Gabriel said yesterday. In the past three months, more than six tonnes of elephant ivory worth close to HK$50 million was confiscated in Hong Kong.