706 Ivory Tusks Found in Chinese Home In Tanzania; Controversial Anti-Poaching Campaign Suspended

Tanzanian authorities recently seized approximately 4,000 pounds of ivory in the home of Chinese nationals in Dar es Salaam, but the raid's link to a controversial anti-poaching operation has soured the victory.

Supporters of the anti-poaching campaign praised the raid in the east African nation's largest city. But the operation took place under the umbrella of "Operation Tokomeza" or "Operation Terminate:" an aggressive, national campaign that has been linked to the indiscriminate killing of people, torture and wide, sweeping arrests.

Sunday the Tanzania Daily News reported an instance of a man apprehended on behalf of the operation being held for nine days, where he was reportedly stripped naked and caned while strapped upside down to a pole.

"My client was forced to admit that he was involved in poaching and that he possessed firearms," said Alloyce Komba, a lawyer representing the unnamed man.

Tanzania's parliament moved to suspend Operation Tokomeza Friday to allow for an investigation of reported seizure of property, torture and killing of suspects, according to the AFP.

"I admit that there is an ugly side in the operation, but what is happening now in arresting culprits and impounding tusks is part of the success of the operation," Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Khamis Kagasheki told the APF. But he defended the successes of the campaign and reportedly refused calls to step down in light of the controversy.

Kagasheki said that action must be taken against any person who "contravened" the operation's code of conduct, the Tanzania Daily News reported in a separate article.

Still, Kagasheki credited Operation Tokomeza for acquiring the information to conduct the raid that led to the recent seizure of 706 ivory tusks in the home of three Chinese nationals. The seized ivory, Kagasheki said, amounted to 353 dead elephants.

In addition to the ivory, authorities found a converted van used for smuggling and special weighing equipment, according to Kevin Health of Wildlife News.

Media reports have identified Chinese nationals Che Jinzhan, Xu Fujie and Huang Qin in connection with the address where the raid occurred. The men said they had nothing to do with ivory smuggling and only ran a small garlic business, according to Wildlife News, which added that the men said they were storing the ivory for friends.

The authorities who conducted the raid refused a bribe of 30 million Tanzanian shillings ($18,750), Kagasheki said, praising the officers for not letting the men go free.

Kagasheki himself is already a controversial figure in Tanzania. Earlier this year he suggested that poachers should be shot on the spot. "Poachers must be harshly punished because they are merciless people who wantonly kill our wildlife and sometimes game wardens," he said.

While savage, Kagasheki's suggestion is not baseless. Tanzania sees as many as 25,000 of its elephants killed every year. The nation was chosen by US President Barack Obama as the site to announce a $10 million anti-poaching initiative in July. Kagasheki said that something between 30 and 70 elephants are killed every day in Tanzania and that soon a study to get a more accurate figure will be underway.

In November of last year, officials in Hong Kong seized more than 500 ivory tusks hidden in a shipping container from Tanzania. At the time, the estimated value of the ivory was more than $1.25 million.