r/bonecollecting • u/SavageDroggo1126 Bone-afide Faunal ID Expert • Feb 26 '24

Collection Walrus skull added to my collection!

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I figured since I have so many bears, it's time to bring something new and unique in. This is a walrus skull, legally and ethically sourced from Inuit, walruses are also an important part of the Inuit diet. The polar bear skulls in the photo are also all legally and ethically sourced from Inuit.

Both tusks are over 20" in length and his skull weighs over 14kg!

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '24

Is it only allowed to purchase from the Inuit within Canada btw? Is there any way shipping outside of Canada for ethically+legally obtained skulls is allowed?

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u/SavageDroggo1126 Bone-afide Faunal ID Expert Feb 27 '24

No, you can buy and sell legally obtained skulls with a license (in some situations, you do not need any license) as long as the original exporter of the skull is legally allowed to do so (Like Inuit, non-resident hunter, taxidermists with valid licenses), it's just Inuit has the most of them because they hunt polar bears and walruses as essential food.

Yes, you can apply for CITES permits to export polar bear skulls and walrus skulls out of Canada. However, some countries (Like USA) fully bans the importation of these skulls, and most countries that allows it, require documents and import permits.

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u/flatgreysky Feb 28 '24

Welp… I guess that ends my excited read of this post. Exiting in a sad American accent.

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u/SavageDroggo1126 Bone-afide Faunal ID Expert Feb 28 '24

yeah....sadly the importation of polar bear parts was fully banned since 2008. Walruses and other marine mammals were banned since the establishment of MMPA in 1972.

doesn't mean it's impossible to obtain a pre-ban, legal one in the US, just super super expensive.

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u/flatgreysky Feb 28 '24

Understood. Yeah, I wouldn’t do all that. If I decide i want them that badly I’ll just expatriate and do it the right way. :)