ZAMBIA AMONG SOURCE-COUNTRIES IN ILLEGAL IVORY TRADE

Zambia has been listed among regional source countries for illegal ivory smuggling between Africa and Asia.

Kenya says it has become a transit point for contrabands of ivory in a two-continent illicit ivory trade.

Kenya Wildlife Services Director, Julius Kipng'etich says poachers from Congo, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia are shipping their illegal cargo through the Mombasa port to Asia.

According to the Daily Nation on-line edition, Mr Kipng’etich says the port of Mombasa is preferred because of its briskness and the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is one of the only three airports in Africa with direct flights to Asia.

Mr Kipng'etich blamed the rise on the lifting of a nine-year ban on ivory sales in 2007.

He has revealed that this is the more reason Kenya opposed Tanzania and Zambia’s application, last year, to move from appendix one to appendix two so they could be allowed to trade in ivory.

In the past two weeks, Kenyan police have impounded 87 elephants tusks suspected to be on transit to Malaysia and China and it is awaiting a forensic expert from the USA to ascertain their origin.

But DNA analysis carried by the University of Washington Forensic Lab had also indicated the 335 tusks, recently burnt by President Kibaki at Manyani, came from Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi.