Determining the fate of seized items These wildlife objects have been seized by Australian Border Force officers at ACT and NSW sea ports and airports or in the post, to assess them and decide their fate. "There are people in Australia who are prepared to pay large sums of money for exotic and rare wildlife products," says Tony McSweeney, Superintendent Maritime and Detained Goods Management NSW, Australian Border Force. "Some of these goods will be destroyed, some will go to museums, some will be held as items for these sorts of examples, to tell people what not to do in the future." Superintendent McSweeney says individuals often don't realise they are importing items illegally, but that many others are capitalising on what is an extremely lucrative trade of mostly endangered wildlife.

A lucrative trade The trade of animals and animal products protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), is considered to be worth $7 billion to $20 billion, says Rebecca Johnson, director of the Australian Museum Research Institute. A Jaguar rug seized by officers. Credit:Wolter Peeters "Tens of thousands of species are listed [in the CITES convention] from all over the world, and the idea is that they are prohibited from trade, except under special conditions, because they are endangered," she said. "Unfortunately the more endangered things are, the more desirable they become, because you get more money if there are very few."

Dr Johnson says the trade of endangered animals, even by naive tourists, can be catastrophic for species with limited numbers in the wild. For Border Force, Superintendent McSweeney said, "The overall goal in seizing these sorts of articles is to stop the illicit trade in wildlife and protect endangered species worldwide that are hunted for their skins and their bodies and their tusks." Inside the Border Force warehouse. Credit:Wolter Peeters But their job is made difficult when packages, intentionally or unintentionally, bounce around different ports before arriving in Australia, because it's impossible to know where certain products might come from, Superintendent McSweeney says. While some items, such as medicinal herbal remedies with animal products in them, are often inexpensive, some of the larger, more exotic items can go for a high price on the black market.

The most disturbing item the superintendent has come across and also one of the most expensive in their collection, is a 7-kilogram ivory tusk from a fully grown elephant, estimated at roughly $US14,000. The 7-kilogram ivory tusk. Credit:Wolter Peeters Loading To detect wildlife products, The Australian Border Force use a variety of strategies, including X-rays and detector dogs as well as intelligence and profiling techniques. "Those who seek to contravene our border controls to collect or distribute these items illegally should know we are alert to their activities," Superintendent McSweeney said.

Hundreds of seized items in the warehouse in Sydney's south. Credit:Wolter Peeters