Authorities in Vietnam discover more than a ton of concealed ivory illegally shipped from Africa

Vietnamese authorities have seized a large shipment of ivory illegally shipped from AfricaHANOI -- Authorities in Vietnam have announced a major seizure of ivory they say was illegally shipped from Africa, Vietnamese media reported Thursday.The haul of 221 pieces of elephant ivory weighing 1,193 kilograms (2,630 pounds) was announced and displayed to the media on Wednesday at Quy Nhơn port in the central province of Gia Lai, said reports by the Vietnam News Agency and other news outlets.Vietnam is a major hub for the illicit trade of wildlife, both dead and alive. Much of the contraband is transhipped to China, but there is also demand in Vietnam itself and other Southeast Asian countries.Thursday’s reports said inspections last week discovered the ivory hidden in sawn timber that was in a shipment of three containers that arrived on July 9.The illegal cargo also contained 79.3 kilograms (175 pounds) of animal bones that the reports said came from animals in the category of big cats, such as tigers. Crushed animal bones are used in traditional Chinese medicine.The website of the Tuoi Tre newspaper said that Gia Lai Provincial Police announced that the shipment had been transported ...