Five crafts sellers who put ivory products on shelves in a Putuo mall have been punished with detention ranging from three to four months.
Shanghai Railway Transportation Court said the seized products weighed about 813 grams and included bracelets, beads and table knives. They were carved from ivory of Asian and African elephants, both endangered and protected species. It is illegal to trade in ivory products in China.
The five were convicted of illegally selling products made from endangered wildlife, the court said.
One of them, surnamed Wu, was caught by police selling ivory spoons, a tobacco pipe and other accessories last August 26 at his stall set up in a mall in Putuo District. According to Shanghai Detecting Center of Wildlife, his ivory products weighed 169.6 grams.
Wu told the court he had bought ivory products when traveling overseas. He sold them at his stall because he saw other vendors selling such products doing likewise. He was sentenced to a four-month detention with a four-month reprieve. He was granted a lighter sentence as he hadn't managed to sell one of the illegal items.
