S'pore to crush illegal

ivory worth $18m

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Haul will be largest destroyed globally since 2016; new

wildlife forensics centre launched
Timothy Goh

The National Parks Board (NParks) began crushing $18 million worth
of illegal ivory, weighing around nine tonnes, yesterday.

It will be the largest haul destroyed globally since 9.5 tonnes of ivory
was crushed in Malaysia in 2016.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, wildlife trafficking is

the world's fourth-largest illegal trade after drugs, human trafficking
and counterfeiting.

South-east Asia is a hotbed for this trade, with Singapore serving as a

major transit hub for illegal items.

Singapore is a signatory of the Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which bans
international trade in elephant ivory.

The ivory that is being destroyed comes from various sources and was
seized over the years, including 8.8 tonnes - coming from around 300
elephants - that was confiscated from a container which was on its way
from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Vietnam in July last year.

Other sources include an abandoned check-in luggage bag en route to

Cambodia and Laos via Singapore in January 2014, and ivory
bracelets and bird cage accessories carried by a Vietnamese traveller
in July 2017.

After samples are taken for analysis, the ivory will be pulverised by an
industrial rock crusher and then incinerated.

Dr Adrian Loo, wildlife management group director at NParks, said

that aside from the strong message it sends, crushing the ivory
prevents it from re-entering the market and helps reduce demand for
it.

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The event also takes place in commemoration of World Elephant Day

today. Those who wish to view the crushing process, expected to take
about three to five days, may visit this website.

NParks also launched the Centre for Wildlife Forensics yesterday in an

effort to boost its detection and diagnostic capabilities in the fight
against the illegal wildlife trade.

The centre will tap advanced analysis methods such as next-

generation sequencing, mass spectrometry and isotope analysis to
examine specimen DNA even in heavily processed samples.

Dr Loo said such methods complement databases already used by

international experts and enforcement agencies and will allow
Singapore to contribute to the global fight against wildlife trafficking.
Ivory being crushed by a rock crusher yesterday, ahead of World
Elephant Day today. The process to crush the ivory, which was seized
from various sources over the years, should take about three to five
days. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
"The data that we get enables international organisations and source
countries to investigate and enforce better. It also helps to identify
potential links such as syndicates that are operating in (these)
countries," he said.

The centre will focus its efforts on wildlife most severely impacted by
the illegal wildlife trade, such as elephants, rhinoceroses, pangolins,
sharks and rays, and songbirds.

It will also tackle illegal timber trade through the establishment of the
Singapore Xylarium - a collection of authenticated timber specimens
which will enable researchers to compare and identify their unique
characteristics and genetics. This will enable Singapore to investigate
and prosecute those who trade in illegal timber more efficiently.

National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who was at the launch

of the centre, said: "The illegal trade in wildlife threatens the survival
of endangered species, destroys habitats and disrupts ecosystems
around the world. Singapore adopts a zero-tolerance stance on the
illegal trade in wildlife... All of us can also do our part to help protect
elephants and other endangered species by not buying illegal wildlife
products, and also discouraging others from doing so."