Hanoi - Vietnamese customs inspectors have discovered about 300 kilograms of elephant tusks hidden in a shipping container of African timber, an official said Wednesday.

Bui Hoang Duong, head of the customs inspections department at the northern port of Haiphong, said inspectors had spotted the tusks Tuesday concealed in a container of wood from Kenya. The sender was identified as Span-Freight Shipping Ltd.

"The two companies listed as recipients on the waybill have refused to receive the elephant tusks," Duong said, adding that police and customs were still trying to identify the owner.

This was the second time this year that smuggled elephant tusks have been discovered by Haiphong customs inspectors. In March, inspectors found 5 tons of tusks smuggled from Tanzania.

Dao Thi Ngoc Van, a trafficking expert at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Hanoi, said most elephant ivory smuggled into Vietnam was ultimately destined for China.

A report issued by WWF in 2008 found ivory prices were 770 and 1,200 dollars per kilogram on the Vietnamese black market. (dpa)