Elephant tusks are highly sought after for use in Chinese sculpture, name seals and jewelry, and according to a survey conducted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), rising demand in China's black market has become the most powerful drive for the illegal international ivory trade.
This year China surpassed Japan as the top consumer market for illegal ivory products in the world, and over half of the country's enterprises engaged in the processing and sales of certified elephant tusks have their fingers in the pie, reported Southern Weekend.
Since 2008, when China was approved as a buyer of government-owned ivory from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, ivory laundering has become an open industry secret.
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