On Wednesday, Nigeria’s environmental standards body unveiled an elephant sculpture made from incinerated and pulverized elephant tusks and pangolin scales. Veuer’s Matt Hoffman reports.
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00:00This sculpture was made out of endangered species, but it's intended to protect them.
00:05It was unveiled by Nigeria's Environmental Standards Body at that country's National
00:09Park headquarters on Wednesday.
00:11The six-and-a-half-foot-tall elephant is composed of incinerated or pulverized elephant tusks
00:15and pangolin scales seized from wildlife smugglers.
00:18Nigerian Minister of State for Environment Adekunle Salako explains the work's intent.
00:23We are using it to further encourage the process of enforcement and the collaboration
00:29to symbolize the importance of collaboration in the fight against wildlife endangered species.
00:36Nigeria is a hub for the illegal African wildlife trade.
00:39Elephants and pangolins are major targets.
00:42Elephant tusks are often carved into ivory artwork.
00:44And according to the BBC, pangolin scales are used in Chinese medicine.
00:48Nigeria's elephant population has declined from about 1,500 to less than 400 over the past three decades.