Business on bones: why Russians illegally export animal remains from the country
Two cases of illegal movement of wildlife objects across the border were recorded in April. Sources say that they are trying to introduce birds, reptiles and felines into the country. And they take out limbs, skulls and other body parts of dead animals and birds. As a rule, such unusual contraband is later used in traditional and alternative medicine of some peoples, as well as in occult rituals. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Parrots without documents
In early April, customs officers stopped a minibus traveling from Uzbekistan to the Moscow region through the territory of Kazakhstan. The inspection took place near the village of Akbulak in the Orenburg region. Inside the vehicle were 93 parrots of various species, including red-tailed jackos, Banks' mourning cockatoo, red-bellied parrot, Lutino and Pennant's rosellas, as well as eight Bahamian ducks and two mountain turkeys. The driver did not have any permits for the import of live cargo. The man explained that the owner of the birds in Tashkent had given him only the veterinary permits of the country of departure and asked him to deliver the goods to a stranger at the point of arrival. An administrative offense case has been initiated under Part 1 of Article 16.2 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation ("Non-declaration of goods"). The sanction provides for a fine or confiscation. An expert examination is currently underway to determine whether the birds are covered by the CITES Convention. All the birds were transferred to the Ulyanovsk Zoo.
Earlier, Izvestia reported that in 2025, 23 criminal cases were initiated under the article on the smuggling of especially valuable animals, aquatic biological resources, plants and fungi. 489 cases of administrative offenses related to the movement of such goods across the border were also initiated.
Claws, paws, tail
Since the beginning of this year, more and more customs violations have been related to the smuggling of animal remains.
In early April, employees of the Pulkovo customs detained a 20-year-old foreigner who was about to fly to China. The man proceeded through the "green" corridor, however, during a random inspection, inspectors were alerted by the outlines of items in hand luggage.
Scanning the backpack and two suitcases revealed that the passenger was carrying 67 objects that resembled claws and horns in density and silhouette. During the inspection, customs officers seized fangs, claws, horn parts, fragments and sections of mammoth tusks, as well as a dried snake head.
The examination confirmed that some of the derivatives belong to species protected by the CITES Convention — eagle, saiga, sperm whale and leopard. The rest of the samples turned out to be parts of other fauna, including extinct animals.
During the interrogation, the foreigner stated that he was fond of collecting such items and did not know about the need for a written declaration. However, ignorance of the law does not exempt from responsibility. A criminal case has been opened under Part 1 of Article 226.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Illegal movement of strategically important resources and especially valuable wild animals across the customs border of the EAEU"). The sanction is a fine of up to 1 million rubles or imprisonment for up to five years.
However, derivatives from Russia are not only being exported, but they are also trying to bring them in. Novosibirsk customs officers found two crocodile heads in the hand luggage of a passenger from Thailand on March 20 at Tolmachevo airport. The 36-year-old Russian was walking through the "green" corridor, but the X-ray showed dense organic objects among his personal belongings. The man bought "souvenirs" for the collection and did not know about the need to declare. The examination confirmed: these are derivatives of animals protected by CITES. Two administrative cases have been initiated (under Part 1 of Articles 16.2 and 16.3 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation). The heads were removed.
In January, Krasnoyarsk customs officers found a stuffed Siamese crocodile near a passenger on a flight from Vietnam. A Russian woman flew in from Nha Trang, and during a baggage check, inspectors found a stuffed animal weighing 1.6 kg and 105 cm long. The woman called it a souvenir and stated that she did not know about the need to declare it. The examination confirmed that the species falls under the CITES Convention. Two administrative cases have been initiated.
A living corner
The "grey" market of exotic animals (as well as the derivatives market) has been formed in Russia for a long time. As Izvestia found out, in online animal stores you can easily find exotic monkeys, representatives of felines, reptiles, for example, the Paraguayan anaconda.
"In some cases, the seller in the ad indicates a species that is not included in the Red Book or CITES, but in reality exposes a much rarer individual — this can be judged, for example, by the price or photo in the ad," says a source in the circle of exotic animal lovers. — Or the view simply goes down. They write, for example, "reptiles" in general — and in the photo specifically an iguana. Rare species are also traded on thematic forums. There, the buyer and seller usually communicate through the guarantee of people with reputations.
According to him, birds and reptiles, reptiles, rodents, and arthropods are of particular interest in the market. Dealers of red book species, as a rule, are closely associated with legal livestock stores, the source says.
"Smuggling is often disguised as ignorance"
Anastasia Fedyunina, lawyer and chairman of the Zoogravo Association, commented on the situation with the "gray" exotic animal market to Izvestia. She noted that the cases of smuggling are part of the shadow trafficking of wildlife, the scale of which is underestimated in Russia.
As Fedyunina explained, in the case of Orenburg birds, the article on non-declaration was formally applied, however, if the examination proves that the animals belong to species protected by CITES, the case may be reclassified to criminal Article 226.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, and then the driver faces not a fine, but a real term.
The lawyer noted that large shipments (like the Pulkovo cargo of 67 items, including leopard claws and saiga parts) are not a random souvenir. She stressed that such volumes are rarely collected "for themselves."
— The smuggling of derivatives is a high—margin business, and the phrase "I did not know about the declaration" does not work in court, especially when a person carries dozens of fangs and horns through the "green" corridor, — said Fedyunina.
She also recalled that when moving any CITES facilities across the EAEU border, mandatory written declaration and prior receipt of permits are required.
— The law does not make exceptions for "collectors", — the expert summed up.
Where animal derivatives are used
Derivatives are parts, organs, and waste products of animals. They are in demand in several areas:
— Medicine and pharmacy: Dietary supplements (beaver castoreum, bear bile, badger fat), calf blood hemoderivate (for ulcer healing), bee products, snakes and scorpions.
Cosmetology: chicken embryos, animal placenta, caviar, stearic acid (from fats), elastin (from the vessels of birds and mammals).
— Cooking: meat, offal and blood of animals, as well as paws of bears, moose noses (in traditional cultures).
— Other areas: exports and imports (especially to Asian countries), regulation of the number of hunting species.
The use of derivatives is regulated by law, and the turnover of rare species is regulated by the CITES Convention.
What threatens violators
According to the FCS certificate, any objects subject to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are subject to mandatory written declaration. The lack of permits automatically makes the movement illegal, emphasizes Fedyunina.
According to Part 1 of Article 226.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the maximum penalty is five years in prison. At the same time, experts say, in practice, courts are increasingly imposing real deadlines if smuggling is systemic or involves particularly valuable species such as leopard, saiga or sperm whale.
"There is still a huge gap between the actual turnover of the black market (which, according to various estimates, reaches $ 300 billion per year) and the number of criminal cases initiated,— says Fedyunina.
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