Pianomaker Fined $35,000 for Smuggling Endangered Elephant Ivory

Image: FWS

The CEO of an Atlanta piano company has been fined $35,000 after pleading guilty to importing piano keys made from real ivory. The shipment of pianos imported from Africa was intercepted by US Fish & Wildlife agents two years ago, after being notified by a fishy documentation request made to an international endangered species protection group in Switzerland. The story reveals two things -- that the clumsy bureaucratic process we rely upon to catch importers of such stuff seems pretty easy to circumnavigate, and that, yes, evidently there are still rich folks prowling the black market for pianos made with real ivory.

Article continues: Pianomaker Fined $35,000 for Smuggling Endangered Elephant Ivory