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South Africa to sell ivory to China, Japan

Story Highlights
Nation will sell 51 tons of ivory under exemption to international ban on trade
Law allows some African countries with ivory stockpiles to make one sale
Environmentalists fear it encourages smuggling, poaching
Wildlife experts believe China, Japan will not sell ivory to black market
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CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) -- The South African government says it will press ahead with plans to sell 51 tons of ivory to China and Japan under a special exemption to the international ban on trade.

The Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa is said to have the highest density of elephants in the world.

Carved ivory buttons, called ekipas, are sold in Namibia. Poaching for ivory kills 20,000 elephants a year in Africa.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, last year said a handful of African countries with large stockpiles of elephant tusks would be allowed to make a one-off sale of ivory.

This was despite fears by some environmentalists that it might encourage smuggling and poaching.

South African wildlife experts visited China and Japan in September and said Thursday they were satisfied that both countries would meet the stringent conditions set by the international pact on trade in endangered species and would not re-export ivory to supply the black market.

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