A court in Kenya on Tuesday slapped a record sentence on a Chinese ivory smuggler, the first person to be convicted under tough new laws designed to stem a surge in poaching. Tang Yongjian, 40, was ordered to pay 20 million shillings (233,000 USD) or else go to jail for seven years. He was arrested last week carrying a tusk weighing 3.4 kilograms in a suitcase while in transit from Mozambique to China via Nairobi, and pleaded guilty to charges. He has 14 days to appeal.
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A spokesman for the Kenya Wildlife Service said that the court ruling would give a much-needed boost to wildlife protection efforts. "It's a landmark ruling that sets a precedent for those involved in smuggling," Paul Udoto told AFP, saying stricter sentences will make the "killing of wildlife a high cost business".
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"It's a remarkable precedent," he said, explaining that smugglers were previously punished with a demoralizing "slap on the wrist." It was "very motivating" to see poachers "lose a lot of money and spend long terms in Kenyan prisons," he said.
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A court in Kenya on Tuesday slapped a record sentence on a Chinese ivory smuggler, the first person to be convicted under tough new laws designed to stem a surge in poaching. Tang Yongjian, 40, was ordered to pay 20 million shillings (233,000 USD) or else go to jail for seven years. He was arrested last week carrying a tusk weighing 3.4 kilograms in a suitcase while in transit from Mozambique to China via Nairobi, and pleaded guilty to charges. He has 14 days to appeal.
