Yet again, valuable body parts have been harvested from a beached sperm whale in Iceland.
Vísir reports that a sperm whale recently beached itself just south of Skógar, in southern Iceland. The exact time of its beaching is unknown.
Reporters arriving on the scene discovered that someone had already taken a chainsaw to the creature. The unknown poacher’s goal was apparently the ivory, as its entire lower jaw had been taken off.
Sperm whales are endangered, and even though the whale had beached itself, the trafficking of sperm whale teeth is illegal, and banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. In the US, engaging in the practice can result in up to five years in prison.
In 2012, poachers made off with half the jaw of a beached sperm whale in Snæfellsnes. Police reportedly investigated the matter, but it is unknown if a suspect was ever apprehended.
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