The postal shipment was headed from Kyiv to the United States of America
Kyiv customs officials prevented the illegal export of walrus tusks, which are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
As reported by the capital's customs, the tusks were discovered in a package that was being sent from Kyiv to the USA.
“Three of the six pieces make up one tusk, which appears to have been recently sawed. The tusks are inscribed with the words: ‘Farewell, unwashed Chukotka, land of cans and stones, land of high salaries and drunken people.’ There is an inscription on the end ‘Uelykal. 1989’, and on the side, it reads ‘In memory of the Moshkovskys from Banakh,’” the customs officials reported.
0 1 The CITES Convention requires that for the export of any animal or plant that is protected, whether alive or dead, and any easily recognizable part or derivative thereof, necessary permits must be obtained from the administrative authorities of Ukraine.
2 However, such documents were not provided, so the walrus tusks were confiscated, and the sender was issued protocols for violations of customs regulations under Article 473 of the Customs Code of Ukraine.