Officers from the State Forestry Administration and the General Administration of Customs, destroy 6.1 ton of illegal ivory items in Dongguan, Guangdong province, ranging from elephant tusks, to smaller carved ivory items, Jan 6, 2014. [Photo by Wang Zhen/Asianewsphoto]

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China to destroy 6.1 tons of seized ivory

China, for the first time, destroyed 6.1 tons of confiscated elephant ivory on Monday.

At 3:30 pm, Chinese wildlife watchdog, the State Forestry Administration and the General Administration of Customs, pulverized 6.1 ton of illegal ivory items in Dongguan, Guangdong province, ranging from elephant tusks, to smaller carved ivory items.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) banned the international ivory trade in 1989 but allowed China to legally buy 62 tons of ivory in 2008.