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dpa
Hanoi
Vietnam will destroy part of its enormous cache of seized ivory for the first time, authorities said on Friday.
Two tons of ivory and 70 kilograms of rhino horn will be crushed, burned and buried on Saturday afternoon in Hanoi, spokesman Khuong Luc from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said.
The destruction will be carried out at the Nam Son rubbish dump on the outskirts of Hanoi under the supervision of authorities, with media and members of the public present, he said.~
The move reflects Vietnam's efforts to fight wildlife trafficking, said Ha Thi Tuyet Nga, director of Vietnam's Management Authority of CITES, an international treaty organisation dedicated to protecting endangered species.
Vietnam is one of the world's biggest consumers of rhino horn worldwide. Some believe it has important medicinal and aphrodisiac properties, and it seen as a status symbol.
Ivory, of which at least 40 tons have been seized since 2011, is frequently transported to the Chinese market from Africa by way of Vietnam.
Officials refused to answer why only two tons were being prepared for destruction.
