Government says Thailand ivory seizure of 446 tusks not yet confirmed as Zambian

The government says its investigation into 446 elephant tusks seized in Thailand, concealed inside timber logs, is not finished, and that the shipment has not been confirmed as having come from Zambia. Ministry of Tourism Permanent Secretary Evans Muhanga said joint teams from several agencies are working with Thai customs officials to check the bill of lading and the export papers behind the consignment before any full report is issued. "The report is yet to be verified by inter-agencies working with Thailand customs officials," he said. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife is leading the work with the Department of Forestry, the Zambia Revenue Authority and other agencies. Investigators are reviewing permits, authorisations and customs declarations, and checking whether any documents were falsified, misused or improperly obtained. A preliminary inspection of the government's ivory strongroom found no sign that ivory had been stolen or unlawfully removed from it. In an earlier statement on 8 October, the ministry said preliminary information suggested the shipment might have come from Zambia, but that this had not been established. ## Why the timber matters as much as the ivory The tusks were not shipped on their own. They were hidden inside timber logs, which means the consignment moved as a legitimate timber export, with the paperwork that goes with it. That is why investigators are going through export documents rather than only counting tusks. Timber from Zambia, including mukula, has been the subject of repeated export restrictions and audits, and a container that carried ivory out inside logs raises questions about who signed the papers and who inspected the load. ## Why it matters Elephants are the reason a large share of Zambia's tourist income exists, and tourism jobs in Livingstone, Mfuwe and the Luangwa valley depend on animals staying alive. A Zambian found with ivory faces a long prison sentence, so when a shipment of this size leaves t