The Kenya Wildlife Service burned the largest stash of elephant tusks and rhino horns ever assembled in one place on Saturday. It was an effort to eliminate the prized but illegal ivory from the market.
More than 100 tons of ivory, a ton of rhino horns and piles of exotic animal skins were lit ablaze. After the burn, all that remained were chunks of blackened debris and ash.
The elephant tusks are assessed and cataloged at the Kenya Wildlife Service. Photo by Mia Collis for the Kenya Wildlife Service
Tusks are carried from the cataloging room to shipping containers. Photo by Mia Collis for the Kenya Wildlife Service
The ivory is stacked into large piles for the burn. Photo by Mia Collis for the Kenya Wildlife Service
Ivory statues seized in transit are added to the pyres. Photo by Mia Collis for the Kenya Wildlife Service
About 1.35 tons of rhino horns await the burn. Photo by Mia Collis for the Kenya Wildlife Service
The pyres were lit by the presidents of Gabon and Kenya in Nairobi National park on April 30. Photo by Mia Collis for the Kenya Wildlife Service
The pyres continue to burn as evening approaches. Photo by Mia Collis for the Kenya Wildlife Service
Two days after the burn, the incinerated piles are still smoking. Photo by Mia Collis for the Kenya Wildlife Service
Tusks are essentially teeth and don't burn easily. The Kenyans tend to the fires until the last tusk crumbles. Photo by Mia Collis for the Kenya Wildlife Service
A herd of giraffes walk by the scene of the burn. The previous night, lions grabbed a burnt crocodile skin, which was discovered later that morning some distance away. Photo by Mia Collis for the Kenya Wildlife Service