Malaysia seizes large amount of rhino horns at airport hinh anh 1Illustrative photo (Photo: VNA)
 
Hanoi (VNA) - Malaysian authorities said on April 10 that they have seized 51.4kg of rhino horns worth 3.1 million USD at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The horns were hidden in a wooden cargo box with art objects on a Qatar Airways flight from Mozambique to Malaysia via Doha, said airport customs official.

The destination was listed as being in the town of Nilai in Malaysia's southern state of Negri Sembilan but it was a false address.

Malaysia has become an Asian transit hub for the illicit ivory and rhino horn trade. Illegal import of rhino horns was banned under Malaysia’s law. In April 2016, the country destroyed 9.5 tonnes of horns that were seized over the years.

Statistics show that there are only 25,000 wild rhinos in the world at present, mainly in South Africa, Asia and India, dropping by 95 percent over the last 40 years. About 1,400 rhinos are poached each year.-VNA
VNA