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Over 1,300 ivory pieces seized at Dubai airport

Dubai - Ivory pieces bought from African countries were seized from different passengers who transited through Dubai on their way to East Asia.

A total of 1,340 pieces of banned ivory have been seized at the Dubai International Airport by the security staff. The haul has been handed over to the Ministry of Environment, according to Colonel Hamooda Al Amri, Director of the Security Department at the airport.
He said that ivory trade has been banned internationally based on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora treaty (CITES) and was seized from different passengers who transited through Dubai on their way to East Asia. The ivory pieces have been brought from various African countries.
Al Amri stressed that their department at the airport is well-equipped and its cadres are well trained to deal with this kind of illicit trade. The security department of the airport also coordinates with other local departments, international organisations and institutions regarding curbing the trade in wildlife.
Dubai is obliged by CITES - which has the aim of ensuring that the international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species in the wild, and it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com