The California Department of Fish and Wildlife busted an "underground wildlife trafficking organization," SFGate reported, after intercepting a gruesome collection of evidence.

What's happening?

On Jan. 23, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a press release about the raids.

It explained the state had "uncovered and disrupted several major wildlife trafficking operations, including one that internationally trafficked illegal products made from endangered species." 

According to Newsom's office, the CDFW launched an investigation after finding a grim, falsely labeled shipment from Thailand to Fresno, California. 

It contained four elephant trunks, later confirmed to belong to a species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the Asian elephant.

SFGate reported that on Jan. 7, CDFW officers simultaneously executed numerous search warrants at locations in the Fresno and Madera areas. Nathan Smith of the CDFW's Law Enforcement Division talked to the outlet about the local elephant parts trade.

"Oftentimes, intact pieces like walrus tusks or elephant trunks are used as a status symbol, not necessarily for homeopathic medicine," Smith explained.

Why is this concerning?

The grisly details of what CDFW officials recovered in the course of their investigation drove home the brutality of underground wildlife trafficking.

Newsom's press release documented the recovery of "hundreds of illegal products made from ivory and elephant, and a number of other products from poached animals, including rhino horns, walrus tusks, suspected bear gall bladders, saiga antelope, and turtle shells."

The vast underground wildlife trafficking market is worth an estimated $20 billion a year, the World Economic Forum noted, citing INTERPOL figures. Those profits come at a cost of "incalculable damage" to global ecosystems, with species pushed to the "brink of extinction."

What's the most you'd pay per month to put solar panels on your roof if there was no down payment? $200 or more 💰 $100 💸 $30 💵 I'd only do it if someone else paid for it 😎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Elephants are at specific and severe risk from poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking, as the WWF explained. Over the past century, African elephant populations have plummeted from 12 million to just 400,000.

African forest elephant populations "declined by 62% between 2002-2011," the WWF added, with the ivory trade and habitat loss as the primary drivers of the decline.

Newsom's press release, the CDFW, and the WWF all stressed the fact that illegal wildlife trafficking is a massive threat to biodiversity worldwide, as did the World Economic Forum.

"Biodiversity is essential to keep habitats and the species in them healthy and alive. This includes humans, who rely on nature to grow food, for example," the WEF warned.

Wildlife trafficking is not limited to parts; live animals are routinely trafficked, and on the black market, this trade often involves exotic and endangered wildlife. Trafficking incidents are often fatal to living creatures, as in an incident where several animals were suffocated in transit.

Traffickers' lack of caution poses even greater risks to the ecosystem at large; trafficked species are often not native to their destination countries, where they can become an invasive species.

What's being done about it?

According to SFGate, seven individuals faced misdemeanor and potential felony charges under the California Fish and Game Code related to the sting.

Prosecutors in Fresno County and Madera County will handle "charging decisions" amid the ongoing investigation, the outlet said.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.