Customs agents are used to intercepting drugs, guns, and even knockoff Labubus. But California authorities may have been caught off guard when they encountered a huge shipment of animal parts. Turns out it was rhinosaurus horns, elephant tusks, and other parts harvested from protected species. 

The state banned the sale of elephant ivory a decade ago. So when California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials intercepted a mislabeled shipment from Thailand that actually contained four elephant tusks, officials opened an investigation. The resulting bust “disrupted several major wildlife trafficking operations, including one that internationally trafficked illegal products made from endangered species.”

Other objects nabbed include hundreds of items made of elephant ivory as well as walrus tusks, saiga antelope, and turtle shells, as well as suspected bear gall bladders. Gallstones are a component of traditional Chinese medicine that Hong Kong customs must watch out for, but I haven’t covered bear gall bladder smuggling, even in Hong Kong.

“Illicit trafficking is not acceptable in any form, including wildlife trafficking. The international illegal market for these products encourages poaching and threatens global biodiversity — California wants no part of it. We’re using every tool at our disposal to catch and shut down these trafficking rings.” — Governor Gavin Newsom