WHALES

There is a global trade in teeth and tusks from whales.

Narwhals are often targeted. These Arctic whales are often called “unicorns” of the sea because of their prominent, spiraled tusk (a tooth).  While indigenous people in the Arctic hunt the animals for food, there is concern that will shift and they will be killed specifically for their teeth. A study by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society found that shops in Japan were selling ground narwhal tusk as a tonic to treat fever, measles, venereal disease as well as general pain relief.

WHALE LINKS:

The other ivory trade: Narwhal, walrus and... mammoth

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/the-other-ivory-trade-narwhal-walrus-andmammoth-a7699861.html

Inside the US-Canadian Smuggling Ring for Narwhal Tusks

https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/mbnk3a/inside-the-us-canadian-smuggling-ring-for-narwhal-tusks

Breaking the Ice: The International Trade in Narwhals, in the context of a changing Arctic

https://www.traffic.org/site/assets/files/2528/breaking_the_ice_report.pdf

Tusks of Whimsical-Looking Whales Lead to Charges for 2 in a Maine Courtroom

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/12/us/2-linked-to-smuggling-narwhal-tusks-plead-not-guilty.html

Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Sperm Whale Teeth

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/connecticut/articles/2018-06-07/man-pleads-guilty-to-trafficking-sperm-whale-teeth