A massive seizure in the Philippines of 200 tonnes of illegally harvested giant clam shells has highlighted the growth of an illicit trade that has proliferated due to a crackdown on the sale of elephant tusks.
Authorities in the country, which is home to the world’s giant tropical clam species, said shells worth around 1.2 billion pesos ($25 million) were found in the sting in the western province of Palawan on the remote Green Island in the Sulu Sea, local news outlet Rappler reported.
Four suspects were arrested, and the seizure included the tridacna gigas, the world’s largest clam…
