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Saving Africa's Elephants: Hugh and the Ivory War

Episode 1

Duration: 59 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC One WestLatest broadcast: on BBC Two Scotland

Two-part documentary series in which Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall explores what can be done to stop the killing of African elephants for their ivory.

Starting in the poaching hotspot of northern Mozambique, Hugh follows the ivory trail through the port of Mombasa in Kenya, where a whistleblower reveals the corruption that lets smuggled ivory through the port.

From there, Hugh heads to one of the busiest ivory markets in the world - Hong Kong, where he goes undercover to prove that traders are laundering recently poached ivory smuggled in from Africa. To his surprise, he discovers that Europe and the UK are also sending huge amounts of ivory to Asia.

Back in the UK, Hugh uses radiocarbon dating to reveal that carved ivory pieces on sale here are not always the antiques they claim to be. These shocking results lead him to call into question the UK government's policy on ivory. Are they prepared to take action? Hugh is determined to get answers at the highest level. Show less

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