Phnom Penh: Cambodian officials have seized 1.5 tonnes of illegal ivory and animal parts hidden in a timber shipment from Mozambique that was destined for China, a wildlife charity and an official said yesterday.
The huge haul highlights the Southeast Asian nation's key role in a lucrative and ecologically disastrous illegal wildlife trade primarily fuelled by Chinese demand.
Hidden behind rare timber logs, they found 1.3 tonnes of African elephant tusks, 10 cheetah skulls, 82 kilogrammes of animal bones and 137 kilogrammes of pangolin scales.
"This is a huge case with too many dead elephants. We should be seeking justice for these animals," Kdov Nuch, customs director at Kandal dry port where the interception was conducted, said in the statement.
The shipping company on the manifest was the same one involved in a bust in Vietnam in late October.
