Wildlife authorities seize tonnes of illegal ivory in Eastern Africa
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Wildlife authorities said Monday they have seized tonnes of illegal ivory and hundreds of people arrested in the largest to-date international operation targeting wildlife crime across Eastern Africa.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the Lusaka Agreement Task Force and Kenya police played a critical role in the success of the INTERPOL coordinated operation against wildlife crime.
"The success of Operation Costa is notable not only for the sheer volume of illegal ivory which has been recovered, which is among the biggest ever hauls recorded, but because it also clearly shows the ability and will of law enforcement to effectively tackle wildlife crime," said Peter Younger, manager of INTERPOL's OASIS (Operational Assistance, Services and Infrastructure Support) Africa wildlife crime program.
"The illegal ivory trade is not just about smugglers and poachers, there are far-reaching consequences to this and all wildlife crime," Younger told journalists in Nairobi.
"Law enforcement officers have been killed, people are threatened with violence, and corruption and the wider economic impact on a country are all linked to this type of criminality."
Younger said the simultaneous operation across six African countries led to the arrest of dozens of suspected illegal wildlife dealers, including 65 in Kenya together with the seizure of 567.8 kg of carved and raw items of ivory.
This is in addition to the 532 kg earlier seized at Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport during the initial phases of this operation -- bringing the total to 1099.8 kg of ivory.
"As this operation is ongoing, at this point detailed results from the other five countries are not yet reported," he said.
Code-named Operation Costa, in honor of the late "Costa" Mlay, a former Tanzanian wildlife director who set high standards of professionalism and integrity in wildlife conservation, it involved officers from police, national wildlife, customs and national intelligence agencies across six countries -- Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
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