[Asia Round-up] Hong Kong holds world’s largest ivory burn

(Photo : AP/NEWSis)

When Hong Kong announced the start of the world’s largest ivory destruction project, one would expect a massive pyre, with flames engulfing the tusks. Instead, the tusk fragments were crushed into small chunks, placed in fiber drums and incinerated at a temperature over 1,800 degree Fahrenheit at a waste treatment center. The process may have been uninspiring, but it signals a significant move by one of the world’s largest markets for smuggled ivory to curb wildlife trade. The ceremonial burning marked the first stage of the government’s plans to destroy the 28-ton stockpile of ivory it has confiscated over the years.

Inside the illegal wildlife trade Ivory bracelets and carved figurines were incinerated along with elephant tusks. The fine dark grey ash left after incineration will be later dumped into a landfill. The government expects to finish destroying the entire stockpile by the middle of next year. Around one metric ton will be kept aside for educational or scientific purposes such as museum displays, according to Hong Kong government officials. Hong Kong follows recent initiatives by several countries, including France, Philippines and the U.S. to crackdown on ivory trade. In January, over six tons of illegal ivory was chipped and ground into powder in the Chinese city of Guangzhou. The top business leaders in China have also pledged not to purchase or gift ivory.

After experimenting with several methods, the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation department decided to incinerate the ivory to remove any risk of their re-entry into the black market. Burning doesn’t completely destroy the ivory, it only chars the exterior. Hammering it into small pieces and burning it at high temperatures are to ensure total obliteration. The effort is expected to gradually reduce the supply of ivory. In a bid to reduce its availability, three of the Hong Kong’s largest ivory retailers announced earlier this month that they would no longer sell ivory products. CNN, U.S.