Endangered rhino horns and elephant tusks seized in California

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recently broke up an alleged illegal poaching front in Los Angeles County. According to the department, thousands of elephant ivory pieces along with multiple “large, intricately carved tusks,” a sea turtle shell, and at least nine rhinoceros horns were confiscated from an unnamed business. 

“The global demand for ivory and rhino horn fuels poaching and organized crime,” CDFW Deputy Director and Chief of Law Enforcement Nathaniel Arnold said in a statement, adding that these and other operations “send a clear message” to black market vendors.

Despite global conservation efforts, poaching remains one of the biggest threats to many endangered species. Illegal rhino hunting has increased significantly in recent years, with an estimated 12,000 of the endangered animals in Africa killed since 2008. South Africa, home to over half the world’s roughly 27,000 rhinos, consistently experiences the biggest burden.

The statistics are even starker for elephants. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that poachers annually kill over 20,000 African elephants for their tusks. Prices wildly fluctuate in the unregulated market, but 2.2 pounds of ivory can sell for well over $500. The consequences aren’t simply a threat to population numbers either. In 2021, researchers discovered that a growing number of elephants are being born without tusks.

Aside from investigating and holding poachers accountable, conservation organizations are getting creative in how to curb the deadly situation. Everything from irradiating rhino horns for tracking purposes to training giant rats to search for contraband has been suggested.

While the Los Angeles County samples still require testing and confirmation from the CDFW’s Wildlife Forensics Lab, the operation comes almost exactly a decade after the state enacted a law to expand its prohibition on ivory and rhino horn sales. Prior to the passage of Assembly Bill 96 , ivory and rhino horn sales were prohibited for any items harvested after 1977. Today, all sales are illegal and can result in tens of thousands of dollars in fines.