Dead Walruses Found

Wildlife enforcement

At least 70 headless walrus carcasses have been discovered along beaches of Kotzebue Sound in Northwest Alaska in the past three weeks, and federal wildlife agents say they believe poachers killed most of them.

Combined with dozens of headless walruses found elsewhere in the region over the past two months, the new carcasses appear to make this the worst season in a number of years for illegal head-hunting for ivory off Alaska’s coast, federal wildlife authorities said.

Walrus populations are considered strong in the Bering and Chukchi seas, and under federal law Alaska Natives in coastal villages may legally kill an unlimited number of the animals so long as the hunting isn’t wasteful. But killing walruses just for the ivory, which can legally sell for $150 or more per tusk, is a federal crime. Hunting groups, biologists and others have strongly tried to discourage it, reasoning it gives legitimate hunters a black eye.

Ivory has long been a relatively easy source of cash for unscrupulous hunters, both in Alaska and in Russia. Most of the demand today is from carvers, with the bulk of their crafts sold in gift shops.