Several high-level Chinese ivory traffickers have been arrested by Tanzanian authorities in a crackdown on elephant poaching, according to NGO Elephant Action League.

Queen-of-Ivory-arrested
Yang Feng Glan. Photo: Malaika Pictures.

Yang Feng Glan, 66, nicknamed the “Queen of Ivory” was tracked down by the National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit (NTSCIU) over the course of a year, the non-profit said. Having reportedly confessed, Yang – originally from Beijing – faces 20-30 years behind bars if convicted.

elephant
Photo: Wikicommons.

Andrea Crosta, co-founder of the Elephant Action League and WildLeaks said that it was the news they had all been waiting for.

“Finally, a high profile Chinese trafficker is in jail. Hopefully she can lead us to other major traffickers and corrupt government officials. We must put an end to the time of the untouchables if we want to save the elephant”.

Tanzania lost around 85,000 elephants to poaching between 2009 and 2014 according to a recent elephant census in the East African country.

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Tom founded Hong Kong Free Press in 2015 and is the editor-in-chief. In addition to editing, he is responsible for managing the newsroom and company - including fundraising, recruitment and overseeing HKFP's web presence and ethical guidelines.

He has a BA in Communications and New Media from Leeds University and an MA in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong. He previously led an NGO advocating for domestic worker rights, and has contributed to the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Al-Jazeera and others.