Container full of ivory seized in Zanzibar port

Zanzibar defence and security forces seized a container full of elephant tusks which was in transit to overseas, police said Wednesday.

The ivory was impounded at Malindi port of Zanzibar, Tanzania's semi-autonomous region, Tuesday evening by the anti-smuggling force in collaboration with intelligence officers after they received a tip-off, Xinhua quoted Zanzibar Police Commissioner Mussa Ali Mussa as saying.

According to the police officer, the container was filled with plastic bags, each containing about 50 kg of ivory.

The ivory was impounded a week after Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said that poaching of elephants in Tanzania was alarming and vowed that no stone will be left unturned in the hunt for poachers.

Mussa said police have launched investigations to trace owners of the ivory and the shipping company that they intended to use.

Police were unloading the container under tight security, he said, adding that the quantity and value of the ivory would be established after all the loot has been unloaded from the container.

According to the latest figures, poachers kill an estimated 30 elephants every day in Tanzania. The number of elephants in the country has dropped from 130,000 in 2002 to 109,000 in 2009, and wildlife experts have warned that the entire population could be wiped out by 2020 if the poaching continues.