泰國海關上月25日宣佈於曼谷機場的託運貨品中查獲了重達兩噸的象牙。
泰國警方在蘇汪納蓬國際機場逮捕一名泰籍人士，當時他正要提取一個由南非出發，經杜拜轉往寮國的貨櫃，上面標示著行動電話零件，實際上內含239隻象牙。
遭查獲的象牙總重2075公斤，市值高達360萬美金。海關官員Seree Thaijongrak 指出，這是歷來查獲最大宗的象牙走私案，他同時說道，包括泰國在內的東南亞國家，近來象牙走私案件在泰國有逐漸增加了趨勢。
Thaijongrak認為此次查獲的結果，表示泰國已經逐漸成為成為from Africa走私象牙到中國、歐洲及美國的主要管道。
保育人士則認為，此案件證明了3月13-25日在卡達首都杜哈舉辦的聯合國物種貿易公約(CITES)會議中，如果提高了合法的象牙貿易量，將會助長盜賣的情形。
華盛頓公約(CITES)會議即在3月13-25日於卡達首都杜哈舉辦。針對締約國打算提高合法象牙貿易量的舉動，保育人士則認為，此案件證明此舉助長了象牙盜賣。
CITES締約國每隔三年聚會一次，討論野生動物及其製品的國際貿易規範，其中也包含了大象。
CITES成員在1989年將大象列入公約的附錄一之中，禁止象牙的交易，在這之前，所有非法與合法的象牙輸出量大約是每年770公噸，相當於7萬5千頭大象。
Thai customs officials have seized two metric tonnes of elephant tusks hidden in pallets at Bangkok's main airport, a customs department statement said Thursday.
The shipment of 239 tusks originated in South Africa and arrived in Thailand on an Emirates flight from Dubai destined for Laos. Acting on a tip, officials arrested a Thai national when he tried to pick up the cargo, labeled "mobile phone parts," at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The seized ivory, weighing 2,075 kilos, has an estimated sale value of 120 million baht (US$3.6 million).
Customs official Seree Thaijongrak said this is "the biggest seizure we have ever had." He said smuggling of ivory from Africa is on the rise in Thailand, as it is in much of Southeast Asia.
Thaijongrak said the seizure shows that Thailand is becoming a key transit point for shipments from Africa to supply the demand for ivory goods in China, Europe and the United States.
Conservationists say the seizure is evidence that there has been an increase in illegal trafficking because Parties to the UN's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, may approve additional legal trading in ivory at their upcoming meeting March 13-25 in Doha, Qatar.
Governments that are Parties to the CITES treaty meet about every three years to set rules for international trade in wildlife species and their parts, including elephants.
CITES Parties banned trade in elephant ivory in 1989 by placing elephants on Appendix I of the treaty, which prohibits trading. Before the ban, illegal and legal ivory exports amounted to an estimated 770 metric tonnes or 75,000 elephants, annually.
