Elephant trunks, rhino horns, other poached parts seized in Fresno, CDFW says
Illegal animal parts including those that belonged to protected species were confiscated this month in Fresno and Madera counties, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The wildlife trafficking included falsely labeled Asian elephant trunks from Thailand destined for Fresno, according to a news release on Monday from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office. Asian elephants are a species protected under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species.
Also confiscated were hundreds of illegal products made from ivory and elephant as well as other products from poached animals, like rhino horns, walrus tusks, suspected bear gall bladders, parts of saiga antelope and turtle shells, the release said.
“CDFW is committed to working with our state, federal and international partners to aggressively identify, disrupt and dismantle these illicit markets, and to ensure those responsible face criminal prosecution and the full consequences of the law,” Nathaniel Arnold, CDFW deputy director and chief of law enforcement said in the news release.
Three people were arrested in connection to the illegal animal products, the news release said.
The CDFW had not submitted the cases to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office as of Monday, according to a spokesperson for the DA.
Law enforcement officers with the CDFW in a separate case also confiscated illegal derivatives of protected kestrel falcons and shut down a rooster-fighting ring in Madera County, according to the news release.
