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Tanzania launches probe into ivory seized in Switzerland

Xinhua, August 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

Tanzania on Wednesday launched a probe into the smuggled ivory that was seized at Zurich Airport en route to China.

"We are shocked with the information that the seized 262 kilograms of ivory originated from Dar es Salaam's Julius Nyerere International Airport," Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Lazaro Nyalandu, said in a statement.

Earlier reports said the ivory was discovered in eight suitcases carried by three Chinese nationals who were traveling from the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam to Beijing via Zurich, Switzerland.

Apart from the ivory, lion fangs and claws were also found in the suitcases.

It showed that poaching remains a challenge for Tanzania despite fight against it, Nyalandu said.

The ministry, in collaboration with Tanzania Aviation Authority and other agencies, has started investigating the issue, particularly those involved in it, he added.

The elephant tusks had been sawed into chunks to fit into the luggage, according to a news release from Swiss customs officials.

The discovery took place on July 6 but was only highlighted Tuesday.

The ivory has an estimated black market value of up to 412,000 U.S. dollars, the news release said.

About 35,000 elephants are poached worldwide annually as the demand for ivory grows. Enditem