Ivory demand in China causing surge in elephant slaughter

An undercover news agency film crew made contact with a man in Beijing who revealed his family runs an international ivory trafficking operation.

At a meeting set up at a five-star hotel, he showed off three pairs of recently arrived tusks with a price tag of £40,000.

Asked if he could supply more, he replied: "Don't worry about that. If we can do a deal today, then next time I have some good ivory I'll call you."

He explained his uncle works in West Africa and uses contacts to smuggle the tusks into China in their luggage.

Despite a worldwide ban on the sale of ivory, environmental groups say there has been a surge in the slaughter of elephants in Africa. The animals are gunned down by poachers before having their tusks sawn off.

There is evidence the carnage is being driven by demand from the Far East and, in particular, by China's new found wealth.

An investigation carried out by the Environmental Investigation Agency in 2010 found a booming underground trade in Zambia, where African traders have learned the Chinese word for ivory - xiangya.

One dealer described how he had sold three tonnes of ivory to a Chinese government delegation.

He said: "There was no problem because, at that time, it was a matter of just going to the airport and putting on their plane. They went safely."

As long as there's a legal trade, the illegal ivory will find its way into the market. And that will directly threaten the survival of endangered elephants in the wild.