World

Tonnes of ivory destroyed in Paris

06:55 am on 7 February 2014

Three tonnes of confiscated ivory worth more than $US6 million has been publicly destroyed in France.

Three tonnes of ivory about to be destroyed in Paris. Photo: AFP

Some 7000 elephant tusks and 15,000 carved ornaments were crushed in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Thursday before being taken away to be burned.

The measure was designed to increase international pressure against elephant poaching in Africa.

An estimated 22,000 elephants were killed by poachers in 2012.

The BBC reports an international ban means that any ivory traded after 1990 is illegal and can be confiscated.