LOS ANGELES — Turtle skulls, elephant toenails and sea cucumbers were among the thousands of animal and plant products seized at Los Angeles International Aiport’s mail facility over the last seven months.
More than 4,220 products sent via air mail have been confiscated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since October for being in violation of wildlife laws and endangered species rules, according to CBP. Export rules vary by country and generally apply not just to live animals and plants but to their byproducts, such as fur, hide, feathers, scales, antlers and bones.
“Illegal wildlife trafficking is one of the most profitable natural resource crimes,” Andrew H. Douglas, Customs and Border Protection port director of Los Angeles International Airport, said in a statement. “It encompasses the harvesting and selling of wildlife, and wildlife products, to be used as medicine, fashion, food, or pets sold to consumers.”
The items arrived from Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, China, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Peru. The batch also included crocodile wallets, butterflies, jerky, shark cartilage, peacock feathers, kangaroo meat and other animal parts.