Interpol seizes two tons of ivory from 14 African states

Cape Town, Interpol made an announcement Tuesday of the operation dubbed “Worthy” that seized nearly two tonnes of elephant ivory in the operation that involved 14 African countries, including South Africa. Operation Worthy was part of Interpol's Project Wisdom, an initiative against elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn poaching funded by the UK Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the NGO International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The three-month long Operation also led to the arrests of over 200 suspects, the global police organization said in a statement. Advertisement Over 20 kg of rhino horn, lion, leopard and cheetah pelts, crocodile and python skins and various protected species destined to be trafficked illegally were also recovered, Xinhua reported. More than 320 officers from police, customs, environmental protection agencies, veterinary services and airport security, among others, took part in the operation. "This has been to date the most wide-ranging operation coordinated by Interpol against the illegal ivory trade, not just in terms of seizures and arrests, but also in targeting the criminal organizations," said David Higgins, manager of Interpol's Environmental Crime Program. Countries participated in the operation include Ethiopia, Botswana, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Source: The

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