The Expiration Superhighway

Sales of endangered critters rampant on the web

What do deviant porn and endangered elephants have in common? No, not that, you twisted perv! The answer: Both are easy to find in the anonymous wilds of the world wide web. The International Fund for Animal Welfare found that in just one week, nearly 9,000 wildlife products were for sale on English-language websites alone (including eBay), with at least 70 percent involving species protected under international law. IFAW documented live animals on the block including a gorilla for $8,141, a two-year-old giraffe for $15,000, and a young Siberian tiger for $70,000. Other listings included more than 500 turtle and tortoise shells, nearly 250 wild-cat products, 2,630 reptile goods, and over 5,500 elephant products, including an elephant-foot ashtray. IFAW is calling for more international cooperation to curtail what it calls a "cyber black market," but law-enforcement officials say stopping wildlife crime is generally a low priority.