29 Aug 2010

Ivory shipment seized at airport

9:07 am on 29 August 2010

About two tonnes of ivory and five rhino horns have been seized at Nairobi international airport in Kenya.

The haul is believed to be the biggest of its kind in Kenya for several years.

The BBC reports two suspects have been arrested over the seizure of the ivory, which was in 317 separate pieces. They were inside boxes labelled as avocados to be exported to Malaysia.

The Kenyan Wildlife Service says the ivory appears to be from elephants which died naturally.

It said the ivory did not have the indelible ink used to mark government-held stocks.

KWS says there has been an increase in elephant poaching in recent years.