The Macau Customs Service seized 583 elephant tusks, weighing 34 kilograms, with a market value of MOP580,000. The ivory was intercepted when travelling from Hong Kong to Macau. It was being transported by two South Africans that had disguised it as 'chocolate cartons'. “We tried to use pointed objects to break it. We failed because it was very hard. We tried several other methods and at last we soaked it in hot water. "After soaking in water, it was easier for us to peel off the outer brown layer and discover that it was actually something white and hard,” Mak Wun Yin, from Customs Service. The two men were taken by the Immigration Department and will have to answer to violations of regulations on endangered species. Just a few days later, more than 1,000 elephant tusks coming from Togo were seized in Hong Kong Airport. The ivory, believed to be from baby elephants, was this time hidden beneath planks of wood in a large container. The tusks weighed 2 tonnes and have a market value of around £1.5 million. (Source : DAN)