Translated from the French by an automated online translation service, so please excuse the roughness. See link for the French original.
See link for photo.
To date, the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) in Lubumbashi is still awaiting the identification of the place of origin of the seized ivory.
Indeed, this institution informs that shortly after this referral, an expert came from Kinshasa. His mission was to take DNA. “14 samples have been taken,” a source told ICCN. Thus, these samples will be examined to make it possible to know the origin of this ivory. Because to this day, it is difficult to locate its provenance. However, ICCN believes that it cannot be ivory from the DRC.
It must be said that according to the minutes drawn up jointly by ICCN and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Lubumbashi, these are 141 ivory tusks. And whose weight is 817.85 Kg. According to the same source, these tusks could correspond to about 80 elephants.
Trade beyond Africa
It should also be noted that according to initial investigations, the ramifications of these ivory networks go beyond the DRC. Although at the same time other lots had been seized in Kinshasa, seized in Kisangani, the sponsors were located in Canada. Other sources talk about China. Because here, the market is still flourishing.
Elephant poaching is prohibited worldwide. But every year, it is between 20,000 and 30,000 elephants killed in Africa, or 3 elephants killed every hour. However, it should be noted that the seizure of these 817 kg of ivory is among the largest catches made in the DRC.