Thai authorities have seized about 400 pieces of African elephant ivory concealed inside a shipment of timber reportedly originating from Zambia, and have launched a forensic investigation to establish the origin of the tusks and identify those behind the suspected illegal wildlife trade.
The ivory was discovered hidden inside logs packed in two shipping containers declared as carrying processed timber at Laem Chabang Port in Chonburi province, according to an October 7 announcement by Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP).
Thailand’s Environment Minister, Suchart Chomklin, said a team of departmental academics and forensic experts had been instructed to inspect and count the confiscated items before conducting DNA tests.
The investigation is intended to determine the geographical origin of the elephants from which the ivory was taken and help authorities identify the criminal networks involved in the shipment.
According to the DNP, the findings will also support cooperation with the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) in identifying the principal suspects and countries where the contraband was destined.
Mary Rice, executive director of the Environmental Investigation Agency UK, welcomed the decision to begin DNA testing at an early stage of the investigation.
She told Mongabay that the initiative could help investigators establish the source of the ivory, noting that it was unlikely that all the seized tusks necessarily came from elephants in Zambia.
Rice said DNA analysis was particularly important in determining whether the ivory originated from a single country or had been collected from several locations before being transported through international trafficking networks.
The Thai authorities have not yet disclosed the total weight of the confiscated ivory. The information is significant because the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the international treaty regulating wildlife trade, recommends that DNA samples be collected for forensic analysis from ivory seizures exceeding 500 kilogrammes within 90 days.
Rice also drew attention to another major ivory seizure in Zambia earlier this year, which she said had not yet undergone DNA analysis.
The latest incident has renewed questions about the role of Zambia in the international illegal ivory trade, although the reported Zambian origin of the Thai shipment has not yet been independently established.
According to the Times of Zambia, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism Evans Muhanga said the reported origin of the consignment had not been confirmed. He added that government agencies were working to examine the details surrounding the shipment.
The clarification underscores the importance of allowing forensic evidence and investigations to establish the source of the ivory rather than assuming that the country from which a shipment was dispatched was necessarily where the elephants were killed.
However, wildlife investigators have raised concerns about the frequency of large ivory seizures associated with Southern Africa and the possible involvement of organised criminal networks operating across national borders.
Rice said her organisation had observed a significant number of major ivory seizures linked to the region. She described Zambia as a transit country, and potentially a source country, for illegal ivory moving into and out of its territory through organised criminal networks.
She also expressed concern about the limited publicly available information on the progress of investigations and prosecutions involving individuals suspected of participating in these networks.
The latest seizure comes amid continuing debate over whether elephant poaching and the illegal ivory trade have declined in Africa. Rice argued that repeated large seizures, alongside the continued availability of ivory products in countries such as Laos, raised questions about the effectiveness of efforts to suppress the trade.
She said the ivory entering illegal markets could come either from recently poached elephants or from existing stockpiles. DNA testing, she added, could help investigators determine its origins and provide evidence to guide enforcement action.
The distinction is important because identifying the source of confiscated ivory can help authorities trace trafficking routes, establish links between separate seizures and direct investigations towards the individuals and organisations responsible.
Even where ivory comes from existing stockpiles rather than recently killed elephants, Rice warned that continued illegal trade sustains the market and can stimulate demand.
That demand, she said, risks encouraging renewed poaching as traffickers seek to secure supplies from living elephants.
For Zambia, the investigation presents an opportunity for cooperation with Thai authorities and international law-enforcement agencies to establish the facts surrounding the shipment. DNA evidence could help determine whether the ivory originated in Zambia, passed through the country from elsewhere, or came from several different sources.
The outcome could also inform efforts to strengthen border controls, improve the monitoring of timber and other cargo shipments, and disrupt criminal networks involved in wildlife trafficking.
As the investigation proceeds, the central question remains whether the tusks originated from elephants killed in Zambia or were transported through the country as part of a wider international trafficking operation. The results of the forensic examination are expected to provide important evidence in answering that question and identifying those responsible.
Picture: Seized ivory