Almost 400 Primate Skulls, Remains of Over 700 Animals in Route to United States Seized at France's Largest Airport

Primate skulls and remains of different animals were found at France's largest airport, according to reports earlier this week.

Customs agents at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport discovered almost 400 monkey skulls and corpses of over 700 animals inside packages en route to the United States.

Collectively, the skulls and animal parts seized at the French airport occurred over several months, according to customs officials.

The incident highlights the continuance of activities relating to international animal trafficking, a lucrative business in the black market.

Aside from the notorious ivory trade affecting the tusks of rhinos, elephants, and other mammals, the demand for non-human primate meat has increased in recent years.

Poaching and the illegal wildlife trade in general have been occurring not only in France and the US, but also in other parts of the world, including Asia and Africa.

Primate Skulls Seized at Airport

In a September 21 post on the X platform, formerly called Twitter, the General Directorate of Customs and Indirect Duties announced seizure and handing over of nearly 400 trafficked primate skulls.

Since then, the animal parts were given to the Natural History Museum in France's Aix-en-Provence city.

According to the officials, the animal remains were discovered from May to December last year.

Around 392 packages contained the primate skulls belonging to different species, including baboons, chimpanzees, macaques, and mandrills.

Local authorities suspected the packages came from Cameroon and were intended to be sent to collectors and hunting associations in the US.

None of the packages were authorized for transport, according to reports.

Illegal Wildlife Trade

The illegal wildlife trade has persisted in multiple countries from different continents over the past several decades. Related seizures have been reported at airports, land borders, and even marine ports.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), wildlife crime is a large business, involving dangerous international networks, who are responsible for trafficking wildlife and animal parts similar to illegal drugs and arms.

Trafficking activities have even increased in recent decades. The WWF states that rhino poaching in South Africa increased from 13 to 1,004 between 2007 and 2013, equivalent to a spike of 7,700%.

The illegal wildlife trade affects not only elephants for their ivory tusks but also tigers for their bones and skins, the non-profit wildlife organization added.

What is Wildlife Trafficking?

Wildlife trafficking or illegal wildlife trade pertains to the commerce of non-domesticated animals or plants, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). They are typically extracted from their natural habitats or raised under controlled conditions.

Aside from poaching, illegal wildlife trafficking involves smuggling and capturing or collection of endangered species or protected wildlife.

Wildlife trade can be legal under the right documentation and permits by respective authorities.

Wildlife trade is regulated by the UN's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also called CITES, which currently has 170 member countries.