Mozambique burned the world’s largest ever seizure of rhino horn on Monday in what ministers and officials said was a demonstration of their commitment to tackle poaching.The largely symbolic destruction of 124kg of horn and 1,160kg of ivory. Mozambique has become a hotspot for Africa’s wildlife poaching crisis, losing nearly half its elephants to the illegal trade in the past five years. It has no rhino of its own, but is known as a hub used by the trade to export horn from South Africa – where a record 1,215 rhino were killed last year – to markets in Asia.
Today sends a signal,” said Celso Correia, minister for land, environment and rural development. “Mozambique will not tolerate poachers, traffickers and the organised criminals which employ and pay them to kill our wildlife and threaten our communities.”
Dr Bartolomeu Soto, director general of the National Conservation Areas Authority, said: “This event demonstrates the Republic’s commitment to protecting its natural resources, and its zero-tolerance to poaching, trafficking and to the organised criminals behind this.”
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