China destroyed 6.1 tons of ivory on Monday in the Guangdong Province in an move towards ending the poaching of elephants in the worlds largest elephant tusk market, the Associated Press reported.
According to Chinese officials, the 6.1 tons of ivory destroyed is just a fraction of the country's stockpile which has grown due China's growth to the world's second largest economy, the AP reported.
An ever-growing middle class created by the "rapid growth" are buying up ivory carvings and art, considered to be a symbol of status, for up to $2,000 a kilogram on the black market, increasing concerns about the black market trade in the top market for elephant tusks, the AP reported.
The ivory destroyed on Monday came from factories and shops all over China and from a ship coming from Africa which was intercepted by customs, according to the AP.
The CEO of International Fund for Animal Welfare Azzedine Downs hopes China's destruction of the ivory will "clearly tell consumers everywhere that ivory buying is unethical and wrong," in hopes of diminishing the amount of elephant being poached a year for their tusks, the AP reported.
Downs also said animal protects groups were "concerned about the toll ivory trafficking is taking on elephant populations, as well as the other threats to regional security that arise in connection with wildlife crime," the AP reported. He added 35,000 elephants killed last year alone by poachers.
In a statement released by State Department Spokeswoman Marie Harf, "destroying illegal wildlife products demonstrates a strong commitment to ending wildlife trafficking," adding that China's actions "will send a powerful message to wildlife poachers and traffickers and to the consumers of illegal wildlife products."
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