新加坡查获了近300头大象的象牙

新加坡查获了近300头大象的象牙，创下新纪录

Singapore said on Tuesday it had seized 8.8 tons of elephant ivory, a record haul by authorities in the city-state, which conservation groups say is a transit point for the illegal wildlife trade.

新加坡周二表示，已查获8.8吨象牙，创下了该国有关部门查获象牙数量的纪录。环保组织称，新加坡是非法野生动物贸易的中转站。

The elephant ivory, estimated to be worth $12.9 million, came from nearly 300 African elephants and was heading to Vietnam through Singapore from Democratic Republic of the Congo.

据估计，这些象牙价值1290万美元，来自近300头非洲大象，从刚果民主共和国经由新加坡运往越南。

The haul also contained the third major seizure of pangolin scales in Singapore this year.

这也是新加坡今年第三次查获穿山甲鳞片。

The pangolin, a scaly anteater, is one of the most trafficked mammals in the world. Its meat is considered a delicacy in Vietnam and China and the scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine, though the benefits are disputed by medical scientists.

穿山甲是一种有鳞的食蚁兽，是世界上贩运最多的哺乳动物之一。它的肉在越南和中国被认为是一种美味，鳞片被用于中药，尽管医学科学家对其功效存在争议。

“The seized pangolin scales and elephant ivory will be destroyed to prevent them from re-entering the market,” the Singapore Customs, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the National Parks Board said, adding that the July 21 seizure came after a tip-off from China’s customs department.

新加坡海关、移民和检查站管理局和国家公园管理局表示：“查获的穿山甲鳞片和象牙将被销毁，以防止它们重新进入市场。”该局补充称，7月21日查获的穿山甲鳞片和象牙，是在中国海关的举报下进行的。

The ivory haul falls just short of 9.1 tonnes seizure in Vietnam in March, which non-government organization Environmental Investigation Agency said was thought to be the largest ever globally.

这次象牙查获量低于3月份越南9.1吨的缉获量，据非政府组织环境调查局称，这是全球有史以来最大的一次。

There has been a flurry of seizures, including of rhino horns, in Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam in recent months.

最近几个月，包括犀牛角在内的一系列犀牛角在新加坡、香港和越南被查获。

“Singapore has always been inadvertently implicated in the global ivory trade for two reasons: its global connectivity, as well as the presence of a small domestic market where pre-1990s ivory can be legally sold,” said Kim Stengert, chief communications officer for WWF Singapore.

世界自然基金会新加坡首席通讯官Kim Stengert说：“新加坡一直无意中卷入全球象牙贸易，原因有两个：它的全球连通性，以及上世纪90年代以前,这里存在一个可以合法出售象牙的小型市场。”

“The consistency of these large-scale seizures is strong evidence of organized crime behind illegal wildlife trade coming through or into Singapore.”

“这些大规模缉获的一致性，是通过或进入新加坡的非法野生动物贸易背后，存在有组织犯罪的有力证据。”

Singapore authorities said the latest seizure also contained 11.9 tonnes of pangolin scales, worth about $35.7 million and equivalent to close to 2,000 pangolins.

新加坡当局说，最近的一次缉获还包括11.9吨穿山甲鳞片，价值约3570万美元，相当于近2000只穿山甲。

Singapore has seized a total of 37.5 tonnes of pangolin scales since April, including one raid which was the biggest of its kind worldwide in five years.

自今年4月以来，新加坡共缴获了37.5吨穿山甲鳞片，其中包括一次五年来全球规模最大的突袭。

The city-state is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and says it is committed to the global effort to curb the illegal wildlife trade.

该市是《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》(CITES)的签署国，并表示将致力于全球努力遏制非法野生动物贸易。