Over a ton of smuggled¹ ivory has been seized by customs in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province.

 

黑龙江省哈尔滨市海关查获一批重逾一吨的走私象牙。
 

 

In addition to the ivory, 73kg of woolly rhino² horns and 1.11 tons of nephrite jade³ were also captured during the operation.

 

This is the largest operation against the mammoth⁴ ivory and woolly rhino horn trade within Chinese customs offices in the recent years.

 

Both mammoth ivory and woolly rhino horns are fossils of extinct species while nephrite jade is an ornamental⁵ stone commonly used in carvings⁶ and beads⁷.

 

China has been leading the world in fighting against the ivory trade. The government promised late last year to completely halt its domestic ivory trade by the end of 2017.

 

The decision has been greeted by environmentalists as offering real hope for an end to the poaching crisis that is wiping out tens of thousands of elephants across Africa.

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