The Mammoth Pirates

With the ban on Ivory some enterprising Russians have found a way of getting rich while really causing a muddy mess. They are using high pressure water pumps to find Mammoth tusk that have been buried in the permafrost for several thousand years. Click the link for the many pictures and for a detailed description of their methods , the money, the life, and the damage. The blasted Mosquitoes would be enough to drive off all but the most hardy IMO. www.rferl.org...

By Amos Chapple

With the sale of elephant tusks under close scrutiny, “ethical ivory” from the extinct woolly mammoth is now feeding an insatiable market in China. This rush on mammoth ivory is luring a fresh breed of miner – the tusker – into the Russian wilderness and creating dollar millionaires in some of the poorest villages of Siberia.

One 65-kilogram tusk was sold for $34,000 and the same 2 guys found three more tusk..
They are also finding woolly rhinoceros skulls and if they are lucky the horn which can bring around $14,000 in parts of S.E. Asia.... However most will spend their summers excavating only to return empty handed.... Because the area villagers are very poor many used borrowed money to buy the water pumps for their digs... It might get very interesting when the loans are called depending on where they got their money from ?

Ravaged landscape is the obvious result of the tusk hunters’ methods, but the impact on Yakutia’s waterways is far-reaching.
At the end of the valley, this stream, thick with runoff from the tuskers' hoses, runs straight into the river. In a region famed for its fish, the men working this site now don’t bother to take fishing rods.

Very interesting, thanks for sharing!

That was a very interesting article, with tons of good quality pictures.

a reply to: 727Sky

The article said in Vietnam, where they believe these tusks can cure cancer, they are worth more than their weight in gold. Wow! I know there is a market for this stuff but I would love to keep any mammoth tusks I'd be finding cool article, thanks for sharing OP

Better than killing living things for it I suppose.. hope they don't stop finding them anytime soon

a reply to: 727Sky

Mixed emotions.

I'm glad people are able to make a living and are not killing anything presently to do so. However, this just tares up the environment, prolongs the perceived need for animal parts, and what happens when the desired or sought after animal body part supply from this activity dries up?

Poachers will again go after the living ones in order to keep the supply going?

a reply to: 727Sky

OK...fu.,..ck...im gonna go there but surely it has nothing to do with money right...?

At what point do we stop pretending that money is NOT causing this madness...???...seriously,...who in their right mind goes looking for "mammal tusks" because you know its for the beterment of our planet...you know the moving forward and understanding of life and the how and why....

Sorry...just had a momentary lapse of reason...carry on/...

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

I agree.

Plus, Using high pressure water to thaw permafrost not only damages the locasl environment but also uses alot of water.

Good read.


Always such a bummer to see what our corrupt worldwide monetary system is doing at *all* levels.

a reply to: 727Sky

Sad... And difficult. Can't fault them for trying their best to make a better life for their families, and at first, it sounds good, but destroying the local ecology and aiding in perpetuating the insanity over tusks and horns in Asia isn't good. Thanks for posting this.

originally posted by: FamCore
Better than killing living things for it I suppose.. hope they don't stop finding them anytime soon

originally posted by: SLAYER69
I'm glad people are able to make a living and are not killing anything presently to do so.

Did neither of you read the whole part about fishermen no longer fishing in the river famed for its fish due to the run off from the tuskers ?

These tuskers might not be killing creatures directly (apart from Deer and dogs to eat), but there is a cause & effect thing going on where they are indirectly killing off wildlife due to their actions.

All for a quick buck

a reply to: Discotech

Slayer did point out the destruction being done to the environment for retrieving these tusks.

I admit, I missed the part about the run off... we know Russia won't do anything to stop these folks :/ very sad

originally posted by: Discotech

Did neither of you read the whole part about fishermen no longer fishing in the river famed for its fish due to the run off from the tuskers ?

Did you not read my very next sentence? Fish are part of that "Environment"

However, this just tares up the environment

a reply to: 727Sky

They are also finding woolly rhinoceros skulls

in my best chinse herbalist voice,

you need ancient woolly rhino horn, better than viagra.
put spring in step,and lead in pencil.

Destroyed for the almighy dollar. This is beyond criminal, it's just.......wrong

Great Thread

Love the digital journalism story. Mixed feelings as well…

Hope all that spraying of the permafrost doesn’t release any bio hazards as in other parts of Siberia.
Anthrax!!! Yes those biting mosquitoes spread it once released.

siberiantimes.com...

originally posted by: SeekingDepth
Great Thread

Love the digital journalism story. Mixed feelings as well…

Hope all that spraying of the permafrost doesn’t release any bio hazards as in other parts of Siberia.
Anthrax!!! Yes those biting mosquitoes spread it once released.

siberiantimes.com...

I did not know that the darn mosquitoes could transmit Anthrax !! Thanks for the knowledge !

A strong new warning from scientists suggests that there is a 'dangerous' risk of infection across this entire permafrost area. Picture: Gazprom

The Yamalo-Nenets region has suffered not one but three separate outbreaks of lethal anthrax since 7 July, with bloodsucking insects - especially gadflies and mosquitoes - playing a key role in the spread, we can confirm.

A strong new warning from scientists suggests that there is a 'dangerous' risk of infection across this entire permafrost area.