China received plaudits yesterday when 6.1 tons of confiscated ivory was destroyed in Dongguan. China, and particularly Guangdong, has long been blamed by environmentalists and researchers for elephant poaching reaching record levels, so the widely publicised event is seen as symbolic, according to The New York Times.

The ivory is gathered together before being ceremoniously pulverised, image courtesy of International News Tribune

State officials, foreign diplomats and wildlife campaigners displayed a pile of ornaments, carvings and tusks to reporters, diplomats and conservationists before feeding them into two crushing machines. Tusks that were too long were cut up into smaller chunks by workers with circular saws before they could be pulverised.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare estimates that 35,000 elephants were killed last year by poachers and China is the biggest market for ivory, which is also known as “white gold.” It can fetch up to US$2,000 (12,105 RMB) a kilogram on the black market. Ivory carvings are widely seen as status symbols by China’s growing middle-class, according to The News Tribune.

The Tribune has more:

Officials said the 6.1 metric tons of ivory destroyed was just a portion of the illegal ivory held by China, though they wouldn’t disclose how big the country’s total stockpile is. The destroyed ivory came from shipments from Africa intercepted by customs officers as well as from carving factories and shops in China.

China is following other countries that have destroyed their ivory stocks in the past year.

In June, the Philippines burned and crushed more than 5 tons of ivory worth an estimated $10 million confiscated since 2009, becoming the first Asian country to do so. In November, the United States destroyed 6 tons of ivory seized over 25 years. Gabon burned nearly 5 tons in 2012.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare said the destruction was a powerful symbolic act that shows that the Chinese government is “concerned about the toll ivory trafficking is taking on elephant populations, as well as the other threats to regional security that arise in connection with wildlife crime.”

Patrick Bergin, chief executive of the African Wildlife Foundation, described the event as a “courageous and critical first step by China to elevate the important issue of wildlife trafficking and elephant poaching among its citizens and around the world.”

Of the “10 Things You Need to Know About Elephant Poaching” listed by The London Independent, here are two of the more interesting ones:

- Pulverizing the Trade
The Obama administration destroyed the US reserve of elephant tusks on November 5, 2013 – announcing that the pulverizing of 6 tons (5.4 tonnes) of ‘blood ivory’ would send out the right message to the world.

- Not Far from Human
Elephants are more like us than you may know. They can be gay, left-handed, have the ability to grieve and – true to reputation – have amazing memories.