Advertisement

China crackdown on ivory trade deters smugglers, Hague report finds

  • Vietnam remains key smuggling gateway between Africa and China but Wildlife Justice Commission says demand is dropping
  • Strict Chinese law enforcement and long jail terms are deterring traffickers, according to the international foundation

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
2
Vietnamese customs officials inspect seized suspected ivory inside a timber shipment from the Republic of Congo in 2019. Photo: AFP
An 11-year jail sentence for a Vietnam-based wildlife trafficking “kingpin” and his associate has sent other illegal ivory traders packing, with many abandoning their operations into China, according to The Hague-based Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC).
Advertisement
Vietnam remains a key wildlife smuggling gateway for elephant ivory and rhino horn moving between Africa and China, but strict Chinese law enforcement is paying off, with a WJC report released on Wednesday showing a decline in the trade.

“[We] detected a drop in the demand for ivory among several Vietnamese networks, with some traffickers even warning our undercover operatives off ivory,” said the non-profit foundation’s executive director Olivia Swaak-Goldman.

“Others have indicated they were burying ivory while waiting to see what would happen in China,” she said.

Ivory is shown being processed in Africa on Ah Nam’s mobile phone, as Ah Phong looks on. Photo: Wildlife Justice Commission
Ivory is shown being processed in Africa on Ah Nam’s mobile phone, as Ah Phong looks on. Photo: Wildlife Justice Commission

“The old days have changed in Vietnam and traffickers know there is a risk of law enforcement, although several traffickers still claim to have the corrupt connections to protect them.”

Advertisement
Advertisement