The illegal theft of several teeth from a dead orca whale found off the B.C. coast may be linked to the black market, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans
The DFO says it is currently investigating whether the weekend theft, which animal activists called “horrific,” is linked to the sale or trade of endangered animals.
The pregnant, 18-year-old whale’s body was spotted floating in the water near Courtenay, B.C., last Thursday and pulled to shore.
Experts believe the whale, known to researchers as J32 or Rhapsody, may have died giving birth.
The animal’s body was cordoned off over the weekend as biologists performed a necropsy, but no security was posted to the area.
Four of the whale’s teeth were sawed off some time overnight Sunday, according to the DFO.
The sale or trade of endangered animal parts, including the southern resident killer whale, is considered illegal under the federal Species at Risk act.
