MILLIONS F DOLLARS IN FURS, JEWELRY, AND CURIOS MADE FROM PROTECTED WILDLIFE TO BE DISPOSED OF; AUDIT

DEPBRTMENT of the INTERIOR nfiws release OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY Alan Levitt 202/343-5634 For Release September 21, 1981 MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FURS, JEWELRY, AND CURIOS MADE FROM PROTECTED WILDLIFE TO BE DISPOSED OF: POINTS TO INADEQUATE STORAGE AND ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES AUDIT What do you do with 5,000 tortoiseshell guitar picks? Or 1200 pairs of shoes made from Nile crocodile? Or any of the other tens of thousands of wildlife products filling government warehouses across the country? You don't just store and forget them, according to an Interior Department Inspector General's report that points out this material has been accumulated without regard to its ultimate disposal. The report also found that the Department's U.S. 'Fish and Wildlife Service had extremely weak accounting and security procedures and that a large number of the items could not be accounted for at one of the storage facilities audited. Secretary of the Interior James G. Watt said that "as part of immediate and effective steps to remedy the situation," his department would propose regul*+tions this week allowing the sale, transfer and destruction of these items. The Fish and Wildlife Service now owns more than $5 millions worth of products made from protected species such as jaguar coats, crocodile handbags, tortoiseshell jewelry, elephant footstools and polar bear rugs. These items have become government property after being involved in violations of U.S. or foreign wildlife ...