
Undercover footage has revealed how hippo skull coffee tables, elephant skin furniture and stingray handbags were among wildlife items on sale at a safari convention in Nevada.

Hippo teeth and paintings on elephant ears were also being sold at the Safari Club International (SCI) convention, dubbed 'hunters' heaven', in Reno last week, an investigation found.

The items were shown in images released by the Humane Society International and the Humane Society of the United States. They are reporting their findings to enforcement authorities.

The practice of buying of selling elephant or hippo products is unlawful in Nevada unless the seller can satisfy certain conditions. These include proving with documentation that the item they are selling that contains such animal parts is an antique and at least 100 years old.

Carlton Evans Handmade Knives of TX booth at the SCI show 2019, selling products made from mammoth teeth and mammoth ivory

The same applies to music instruments that must have 'de minimus' - or, minimal - quantity of animal product, and the seller must prove its provenance and that it was legally acquired.

This also applies to weapons and other objects and the provenance and legal acquisition must always be proved according to Nevada law.

Investigators also claimed they found that canned lion hunts - in which customers can pay to shoot a captive-bred African lion in an enclosed area from which it cannot escape- were easily available for purchase in Reno last week.

SCI, one of the world's largest trophy hunting advocacy groups, banned the sale of such hunts at its conventions as of February 4, 2018.

Artist Debra Cooper paints wildlife scenes onto elephant skin and ears, her works are for sale at the SCI show

Artist Debra Cooper (painting in the background) paints wildlife scenes onto elephant skin and ears, her works are for sale at the SCI show

Kitty Block, acting president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and president of Humane Society International, said: 'The world's leading trophy hunting industry group is apparently promoting, enabling, and profiting from the illegal wildlife trade and unethical hunting practices.

THE POTENTIALLY ILLEGAL PRODUCTS ON SALE - MANY MADE FROM ANIMALS UNDER THREAT OF EXTINCTION • Paintings on elephant ears and skins • An elephant skin bench • Elephant leather boots, shoes, chaps, belts, and saddles • Bracelets made from elephant hair • An entire mammoth tusk • Mammoth tusk carvings • Stingray skin boots, shoes, belts and purses • Boxes of hippo teeth • A hippo skull table • Hippo leather belts and boots • Shark skin belts • A knife with a handle made of narwhal tusk Advertisement

'Conservation laws and hunting ethics are thrown out the window by SCI when financial profit is involved, driving iconic wildlife such as African elephants toward extinction.

'Making money off the opportunity to kill these animals for bragging rights is something that most people around the world find appalling. It's an elitist hobby of the 1 percent, and there is no place for trophy hunting in today's world.'

As of January 1, 2018, it is unlawful for any person within the state of Nevada to 'purchase, sell, offer for sale or possess with intent to sell any item that it, wholly, or partially, made of an animal part or byproduct derived from a shark fin, a lion of the species Panthera leo or any species of elephant, rhinoceros, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, pangolin, sea turtle, ray, mammoth, narwhal, walrus or hippopotamus.'

The investigators found more than a dozen convention vendors offering for sale and possessing with intent to sell wildlife products that appear to violate this law.

Audrey Delsink, HSI/Africa Wildlife Director, said: 'South Africa's benchmark role in the captive breeding of lions for trophy hunting is a conservation and welfare disgrace; sentiments echoed by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee of Environmental Affairs and globally respected scientists and conservationists.

'Despite SCI taking a public stand against this industry and prohibiting the advertising and sale of captive bred lion hunts by its operators, the HSUS/HSI investigation reveals that some SCI operators continue to promote this highly unethical practice, thereby violating SCI's own policy and exposing its own lack of enforcement. The scope and range of products available at the Convention demonstrates that when financial profit is involved, conservation laws are thrown out of the window, with no species – not even the extinct mammoth – being off-limits.'

Undercover investigation exposes wildlife items, including elephant skin furniture, hippo skull table and this rhino tusk, for sale at Safari Club International convention

A rep with Clint Orms Silversmiths of Ingram, TX, selling stingray belts at the SCI show

Many of the items, made from animals listed as vulnerable or threatened by extinction, can make the vendors thousands of dollars. Paintings on elephant ears by artist Debra Cooper can go for anywhere between $2,000 to $3,500.

While an ottoman made from elephant skin is being advertised on one vendor's website at $ 1,595. Belts made from stingrays were being offered at just under $400. Many of the items appeared to be price upon request.

Several of the vendors' websites focus on 'Western' values and craftmanship, yet fail to mention that the products they use come from animals at risk of extinction.

The Trophy Room Collection, which sold - among other things - the elephant ottoman, states on its website that: 'The wildlife products we sell are from animals culled from herds on African Game preserves. The entire animal is processed and all parts are sold at auction and used, especially the meat.'

Elephant culls reportedly only occur very rarely in South Africa.

Other items on sale the conference include an elephant skin bench; elephant leather boots, shoes, chaps, belts, and saddles, an entire mammoth tusk; mammoth tusk carvings; stingray skin boots, shoes, and purses; boxes of hippo teeth; a hippo skull table; hippo leather belts and boots; shark skin belts; and a knife with a handle made of narwhal tusk.

Investigators say they also found 'canned' lion hunts for sale, in which customers can pay to shoot a captive-bred African lion in an enclosed area from which it cannot escape.

Canned hunts are internationally scorned, and SCI claims that it does not allow such lion hunts to be sold at its conventions.

Hippo teeth for sale $3.50/ounce at The African Market Trophy Room Collection booth at SCI

An elephant leather bench for sale by The African Market Trophy Room Collection

Elephant hair bracelets for sale by Safari Jewelry at the convention in Reno, Nevada

Yet vendors appeared to show investigators sample pictures of types of lions that may be killed, priced according to the age and size of the animal and his mane.

One conference attendee told the investigators that he and his children participated in a canned hunt, killing 'their' lion within 90 minutes, according to the Humane Society.

Canned hunt operators described baiting lions with meat, which they said they could do ahead of a trophy hunter's arrival, to save time, investigators said.

Undercover investigation exposes illegal wildlife items, including elephant skin furniture, hippo skull table and stingray belts, also for sale was this stingray skin bag

A Narwhal handled knife for sale by the German company Gaston at SCI

One person also allegedly told investigators if they wanted to kill a really big lion, he could order one specially.

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International are releasing their investigation while the Dallas Safari Club convention is underway in Dallas, Texas, with some of the same vendors that were at the SCI convention last week.

While Texas does not have the same laws prohibiting the sale of wildlife products as Nevada, the Dallas Safari Club has stated that it too opposes captive bred lion hunting.

A horse saddle made of illegal material. Investigators also found elephant skin furniture, hippo skull table and stingray belts

Undercover investigation exposes illegal wildlife items, including elephant skin furniture, hippo skull table and stingray belts (pictured)

A sample hippo skull table is displayed for custom ordering at the Scottville, Michigan-based booth for Legends Taxidermy, at the Safari Club International 2019 convention in Reno, NV

At least six exhibitors selling canned lion hunts at the SCI convention are also at the DSC convention.

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International submitted its findings in writing to the Nevada Department of Wildlife on January 10, requesting investigation and enforcement of Nevada law.

Any person who violates this law is guilty of a gross misdemeanor for the first offense, a category E felony for a second offense, and a category D felony for a third offense, in addition to civil penalties of up to $6,500 (£5000).

MailOnline has contacted the Safari Club International for comment.

Stingray boots available for sale at the J.B Hill stall at the controversial convention

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International submitted its findings in writing to the Nevada Department of Wildlife, elephant and beaver boots shown

Elephant hair bracelets for sale at the Mansfield, OH-based African Sporting Creations booth