Illegal ivory, skins and horns seized in Hong Kong
A shipment of illegal ivory, rhino horns and leopard skins worth $5.3 million was seized in Hong Kong's second big bust of endangered species products in a month.
Read more: Hong Kong customs seize millions of dollars in endangered species cargo
Customs officials at the Kwai Chung cargo examination compound seized the HK$41 million haul containing 1,120 ivory tusks, 13 rhino horns and five pieces of leopard skin after searching a container declared as wood from Nigeria.
br> Wildlife activists say China's growing presence in Africa is to blame for an unprecedented surge in poaching of elephants for their tusks, most of which are believed to be smuggled into China and Thailand to make ivory ornaments.
More than 1,000 ivory tusks, mainly from baby elephants, were seized by Hong Kong customs in July in what was their biggest haul in three years, officials said.
