Lincolnshire Police warn public after endangered animal cases uncovered across county

Lincolnshire Police are urging residents to be more aware of the illegal trade in endangered animals and animal parts after a series of wildlife crime investigations in the county. Officers say some of the cases they have dealt with appear to have involved ignorance rather than deliberate criminal intent, but the force is stressing that the law around protected species is strict and the consequences can be serious. Among the items seized or handed to police in Lincolnshire investigations are a rhino horn said to be worth more than a quarter of a million pounds, a tiger skin rug and several boxes of ivory.

The force has also dealt with the sale of parts from dead animals, including the distinctive saw-like snout, known as a rostrum, of a sawfish. Det Con Aaron Flint, Lincolnshire Police's wildlife crime officer, said officers were trying to raise awareness so that more people understood the scale of the issue and the harm it can cause to endangered species in the wild. The global trade in endangered species is estimated by Interpol to be worth £17bn a year, placing what may seem like isolated local cases in a much wider international picture.

One of the best known Lincolnshire cases involved Gulliver, an endangered juvenile tortoise. The animal had been bought by a woman from Boston at a market in Tunisia and brought back into the UK hidden inside a cigarette packet. The case was investigated under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species Regulations 2018 and the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979.

Police are also reminding people that offering an endangered species item for sale can itself amount to an offence if the proper documentation is not in place. In one Lincolnshire case, a tiger skin rug was handed to officers after an auction house checked whether it could legally be sold. Police said such an item would need either an Article 10 certificate or proof it had been taxidermied before 1947.

That detail matters for anyone in Lincolnshire dealing with inherited collections, antiques or unusual items found in house clearances. What may look like a curiosity or a family heirloom could still fall under wildlife trade rules. The message from police is that awareness is key.

Officers believe better understanding could help prevent offences before they happen and may also encourage people to report suspicious sales or items. For Lincolnshire residents, the warning is a reminder that wildlife crime is not only something that happens at borders or in far-off places. It can surface in market towns, auction rooms and private homes across the county, with local investigations linked to a trade that has a global impact.

This story was adapted by The Lincoln Post from original reporting by www.bbc.com.