China destroys over 6 tons of illegal ivory

The UN, the US and various organizations are applauding a move by the Chinese government to destroy six tons of confiscated ivory in Dongguan City of southern Guangdong Province, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday. Raw tusks and carved ivory pieces, which the government has seized over the years, were dumped into crushers and ground to rubble and ash on Monday.Forestry officials organized the destruction, which they said was the country's first such large-scale public event, according to the report.Demand is fuelled by rapid growth of the world's second-largest economy, which has created a vast middle class with the spending power to buy ivory carvings.Ivory can command up to USD 2,000 per kilogram on the black market, earning it the nickname "white gold," the report said."We see the ivory crush is providing an opportunity for China, together with the international community, to show solidarity in their efforts to bring to an end this illicit trade in elephant ivory, which is decimating African elephant populations but it's also having a very negative effect on local people and their livelihoods on the African continent," John Scanlon, Secretary General of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, was quoted as saying.Ivory smuggling activities remain rampant globally. Latest figures released by Scanlon's organization show an estimated 22,000 elephants were killed in 2012.Chinese laws stipulate that anyone involved in illegal trade in elephant ivory could be sentenced to life imprisonment.