Is there any reason that tusks taken as a trophy in Zimbabwe can't be brought back as checked luggage?

There are many reasons why this Can not be done.

Cites has to be issued by Zim....


Mike

Scott,

Other than the legalities can you imagine the chance of theft in transit and if they made it can you feature what the baggage handlers would do to them. I suppose if they were say 30 pounders that they might fit in your duffle so if you could somehow get all the paperwork in hand before you returned home maybe you could do it. I guess looking into it with your safari operator might be worthwhile. Something tells me it won't work but the research will cost you nothing.

Mark

Way too much paperwork to get that done before you leave.

It is not necessarily the amount as it is who it is that must be depended on to get it done.

If you can motivate the Zim Government Employees to come to work, and put your paperwork first, then it may be possible.

So, in a sentence? No way Jose!

Nice try though!

How would explain your tusks to US Customs?

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by nopride2:
How would explain your tusks to US Customs?

Dave

Um, yes, I actually brought these on vacation with me.

Here is what I was thinking. If an elephant was killed early on, it could be inspected and treated by who ever does such things. Then, if I gave the appropriate Zambabwean government official some cash to "buy some tea for an ailing grandmother" I might be able to get out of the country legally with their export permit and the tusks. I'd then package the tusks in some bubble wrap and make a crate then check as luggage. Once in the US, if I had our cites permit in hand and the Zambabwian export permit, I think it would be easy.

quote:

Originally posted by SBT:
Here is what I was thinking. If an elephant was killed early on, it could be inspected and treated by who ever does such things. Then, if I gave the appropriate Zambabwean government official some cash to "buy some tea for an ailing grandmother" I might be able to get out of the country legally with their export permit and the tusks. I'd then package the tusks in some bubble wrap and make a crate then check as luggage. Once in the US, if I had our cites permit in hand and the Zambabwian export permit, I think it would be easy.

I brought some trophies back with me this trip, from 2 years ago. I checked some (packed in a box) and hand carried one BWB Euro mount wrapped in bubble wrap. The airlines don't care. A lot of people had horns etc that they bought as curios, wrapped and hand carried. A friend brought a pair of sable horns this way. The US customs people didn't even look at the stuff, even though I declared on my form that I had been on a farm and was bringing back animal products. He asked me if it was trophies and I said yes. I didn't get to visit Dept of Agric, but they did want to check my firearms against the 4457s. I did have the paperwork from the taxidermist (vet clearance etc) but I didn't have to produce it.

I also had a pair of carved buffalo horns in my checked baggage, and a pair of pick-up warthog tusks.

This was the cheapest and easiest trophy shipment I have ever handled.

BTW I brought some fairly fresh and gory Moose antlers back from Canada one time, also checked with my bags. Had to go through F&W on both ends but no problems.

So I don't see why you can't bring tusks...you will need the CITES permit of course, on both ends. And they will need to have vet certs as well. Unlikely to be able to get this done in a matter of a week or so. So you probably need to get them on a second trip. Shoot an elephant with straight ivory and you can put them in your tuffpak!!!

Yes, the above is directly parallel to my own experience. It is amazing what you can (legally) get through customs when also carrying legal weapons. The employees are so concerned with covering their but with the guns that everything else fall by the wayside.

tendrams

You must understand that in order to become gainfully employed as a baggage handler, one's knuckles must drag the ground while standing erect.

I would never entrust something as valuable as elephant ivory to the tender mercies of the ramp tramps, all other things considered.