Philippines: Seized elephant tusks to be preserved

Manila: The Philippines authorities have decided not to destroy some of the seized elephant tusks and instead preserve them for education and research purposes or use them as evidence against poachers.

Theresa Mundita Lim, Director of the environment department’s Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) said that while the plan to destroy five tonnes of the tusks would go through as planned on June 21, not all of them will be destroyed. The PAWB will preserve 30 pieces while 106 tusks will be set aside as evidence in criminal cases filed against suspected illegal ivory traders.

The tusks that will be preserved will be turned over to the National Museum and Commission on Higher Education so that experts can study them.

Elephants are not an endemic species in the Philippines. The tusks came from confiscated shipments from abroad.

A group of environmentalists led by the EcoWaste Coalition had urged authorities to consider the negative aspects of burning the ivory. EcoWaste said burning the contraband would release air pollutants and is illegal under the country’s environmental protection laws.

On Sunday, the Department of Environment Secretary Ramon Paje announced that the PAWB had cancelled the ceremonial burning of the seized tusks.

“I have already instructed the PAWB to forego the ceremonial burning. But just the same, the confiscated tusks weighing about five tonnes will be crushed as planned using road rollers,” Paje said.

Earlier, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) identified the Philippines as one of the countries used as a transit route for the illegal trade in ivory.

The illegal trade in ivory is being blamed for the slaughter of elephants. Tusks taken by poachers are being sold in the black market for the manufacture of items such as piano keys, religious icons among others.

Elephants are listed in Appendix 1 of CITES, which means they are highly endangered, and are banned from international trade.

According to Lim, the ivory tusks that are in their safekeeping were seized by the Bureau of Customs from 1996 to 2009.

The EcoWaste Coalition had said that it is heartened by the DENR and PAWB’s decision not to burn the tusks.

“We welcome this enlightened decision by the DENR leadership. We hope this translates to a wide ranging directive against the usual practice of burning confiscated goods. The law is clear on the issue prohibiting open burning,” said environmental campaigner Von Hernandez, President of the Quezon City-based EcoWaste Coalition.