Items made from banned animal products seized in Warwickshire
Rural police teams have been investigating collectors and antique shops
Warwickshire Police have seized multiple items made out of banned animal products, after a series of investigations into antique shops and private collectors.
Among the artefacts were an elephant skull, a rhino’s foot, a turtle shell, a resin-coated pipistrelle bat, a badger rug, and a bag made out of an iguana.
Items like this are prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Under the Ivory Act 2018, it is prohibited to buy or sell any product containing ivory, with some exemptions for antiques.
Warwickshire Police's Rural Crime Team said the elephant skull was part of a whole skeleton that the owner had attempted to tie together and claim as a taxidermy model.
Another large haul - including CITES-banned products and taxidermies of other African Big Five animals - was found being used for commercial purposes without valid importation paperwork or certificates.
The force has said it is speaking to the University of Bristol, that could use the elephant skull for education and research.
A spokesperson added: "We make every effort to repurpose these seized products for crime education, or to give them to universities for research purposes."