Malaysia has seized 18 rhino horns, bringing Asia’s total to six seizures within one short month and underlining illegal trade’s continued onslaught on rhinos. Royal Malaysian Customs confiscated the shipment weighing 51.45 kg that had arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on April 7, on a flight from Mozambique and transited in Doha, Traffic.org reported. Malaysia’s 18-horn haul, estimated to be worth more than $3.1 million, marks the sixth reported rhino horn bust in the region since March 8, with a combined minimum of 103 rhino parts, weighing at least 235 kg. Five other seizures in the region took place in Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam; two of Hong Kong’s three seizures originated from Mozambique, and in both these cases, two men were arrested. Malaysia does not possess a domestic market for rhino horn sale or consumption. However, it has previously been implicated in the trafficking of rhino horns from Africa to Asia.
