Philippine Government Destroys Tons of Ivory
07/11/2013
Elephant Ivory is Often Used to Make Religious Objects.
Let’s do it again! Hello and welcome back. I’m Jim Tedder in Washington. On today’s program, a trip to the Philippines, where officials are intentionally destroying things of great value. And a look outside the VOA studios at the National Mall. Recently this large, green area in the central part of Washington, D.C. was covered with …bones! As It Is is on the air.
The Philippine government recently destroyed more than five tons of elephant tusks it had seized. The Philippines is one of the main stops on the travel route of the unlawful ivory trade from Africa to China.
The long, valuable teeth of the elephants were part of a supply collected over 17 years ending through 2009. But this is only about half the amount of what was seized at first. Officials say the search and investigation continues for nearly eight tons of ivory that are missing.
Ramon Paje is the Philippines’ Environment and Natural Resources secretary. He says he hopes that destroying the tusks in a very public way will help stop the illegal trade.
“This act is a strong statement to the rest of the world that the Philippines is serious and will not deal with illegal wildlife trade.”
Last October, the National Geographic Magazine published an investigative story about the trade. The story, by Bryan Christy, said the Philippines was not just a major transport point for raw ivory. Instead, it reported that the country is also a major buyer of religious objects made from the material.
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25