Hundreds of body parts from endangered and threatened animals have been seized at our borders as people try to smuggle them in.
The hides, furs, teeth and bones indicate the scale of the trade of sickening trophies, rugs and trinkets in Britain.
A polar bear skin and head, 21 monkey skulls and five primate corpses were among the haul uncovered by the Mirror.
Border Force officers also confiscated four elephant hides, nearly two tonnes of walrus teeth and 12 tiger furs.
Almost 80 rhino horns were seized in one bust.
Horns can fetch £250,000 each.
Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International – UK, said: “Thanks to the Mirror, we now have a shocking insight into the scale of this problem.
"But we fear these figures are merely the tip of the iceberg and that the true scale of the UK’s gruesome trophy hunt imports could be much higher.
“Threatened and beloved species such as monkeys, polar bears, lions, leopards and elephants are being butchered abroad by ruthless trophy hunters safe in the knowledge they will be able to bring them into the UK by legal or illegal means.
"This has to stop.”
Thirty bear skins were confiscated.
Smugglers were also caught with cheetah and lynx furs, zebra hides, lion whiskers, hippo feet, sperm whale teeth and dolphin skeletons.
Scales from pangolins – known as scaly anteaters – were also seized.
Monkey skulls fetch £100 on the internet. The animals are shot out of trees and their young are often sold into the pet trade.
Mark Jones, head of policy at the Born Free charity, said: “Illegal wildlife trade devastates the lives of sentient animals, results in the steep decline of many wild species, disrupts the ecosystems on which we all rely, and deprives human communities of their heritage.”
The figures cover the five years from January 2014 to February 2019.
They were released to the Mirror by Border Force officials under Freedom of Information laws.
The Home Office said: “Border Force officers work tirelessly to clamp down on this trade and take products out of circulation.”
The Mirror is campaigning for an end to the barbaric practice of trophy hunting.
We are also demanding the Government puts an immediate ban on the import of animals shot for pleasure.
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