Winner
Brent Stirton
Getty Images
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
"GOD'S IVORY"
SURIN, THAILAND, NOVEMBER 2011: The head Abbot of Wat Suan Paa Phutthasatharn Supraditme Thee Temple, photographed with his ivory religious icons clearly visible in Surin Elephant Village in Surin, Thailand. The monk buys his Ivory carvings of Bhudist icons for resale purposes to his followers. He commented openly on the presence in Thailand of illegally imported African ivory and advised on how to get it into Thailand past customs authorities. He also spoke of how senior memember of the Thai parliment are behind the illegal industry. He spoke enthusiastically of business opportunities if this photographer could get him illegal African ivory, despite his public relations campaign as a carer of elephant in Thailand. The Thai legal system has many loopholes as a result of a legal domestic ivory market and Thailand is suspected of being a major transit country for illegal African ivory as a result. The sale of religious ivory icons is a big part of the domestic trade while illegal ivory and elephant goods from Africa via Thailand regularly make their way to China.
|
