$150,000 rare ivory tusks stolen from Kauri home

What are six feet long, solid ivory, worth more than $150,000 and missing from a Whangarei home? A pair of rare elephant tusks that have been reported stolen.

Whangarei Police Senior Sergeant Howard Clement said the two tusks were stolen from a house in Kauri between February 29 and March 1, but the theft was reported only in the past few days.

The householders are understood to have had guests staying during that time and noticed the tusks gone later. There was no sign of forced of illegal entry into the home, which is why police are treating it as a theft, not a burglary.

Mr Clement said the tusks were about six feet 1.82m tall and were worth more than $150,000.

It was unclear if the tusks came from African or Indian elephants.

Given their size, the tusks will be hard to dispose of. Anybody with information on the stolen ivory can contact Whangarei police on 430-4500.

Ivory is also subjected to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

CITES regulates and monitors imports and exports of endangered species to ensure that their long-term survival in the wild is not threatened. Anybody wanting to import or export ivory need to get a permit from CITES.

The New Zealand legislation implementing CITES is the Trade in Endangered Species Act 1989, with the operation and administration provided by the Department of Conservation.

In order to implement the convention, DoC has established a management authority and a scientific authority. The management authority issues permits, co-ordinates with the CITES Secretariat in Geneva, produces annual trade reports, and promotes awareness of the convention in New Zealand.