Customs officers at Hong Kong Airport have managed the largest seizure of rhinoceros horns ever made by air passengers. They took two smugglers from South Africa at least 24 horns, as the Customs announced today. The two men were arrested during the stopover on their way to Vietnam while they were walking through the terminal with two large boxes.
The total weight of around 40 kilograms reportedly had a black market value of 900,000 euros. According to the Hong Kong environmental group ADM Capital Foundation, the 40 kilograms are equivalent to about 20 percent of all rhinoceros horns that have been confiscated in the Chinese Special Administrative Region over the past five years. An international smuggling network is probably behind it, said ADM Capital’s Environment Program Director Sophie le Clue.
Demand high
However, she would rather have less loot seized and more masterminds of illegal trafficking brought to justice, she added. Only in January, a coalition of local conservationists called on Hong Kong’s authorities to crack down on the smuggling of wildlife and animal products. They demanded that the authorities close the many loopholes in the law and make more frequent use of the smuggler’s punishment.
The demand for rhinoceros horns is high, especially in China and Vietnam: Traditional medicine has a healing effect on them, even though they consist of keratin, like human fingernails.
