Inside the Storage Facilities of Russian Tusk Dealers

The gray market trade of mammoth artifacts to rich buyers and scientists alike has become a viable industry for Russian merchants—and criminals—alike. People such as Nikolai Timoshuk have built entire businesses on the import and export of ancient fragments of bones and tusks. Motherboard visited Timoshuk's tusk stash and the storage facility of a major mammoth tusk exporter and business partner on a recent trip to Russia. Here's what we found.

Motherboard's Ben Makuch, standing on a pile of tusks wrapped in burlap and plastic, at the storage facility of a business partner of Nikolai Timoshuk in Khimki, Russia, a suburb of Moscow. Xavier Aaronson/VICE

Makuch, holding up a woolly mammoth tusk fragment up to his face. Scientists can determine the age of the mammoth by studying the growth rings on a cross-section of tusk. Xavier Aaronson/VICE

Fragments of ancient bones piled up on the shelf at the storage facility. Xavier Aaronson/VICE

Precious cargo of woolly mammoth tusks, wrapped in burlap and plastic and ready for shipment. Xavier Aaronson/VICE

Fragments of ancient bones, piled up on the shelf at the storage of the mammoth artifact importer and exporter Nikolai Timoshuk. Xavier Aaronson/VICE

Mammoth tusks of lesser quality are sawed up into fragments and sold as material for ivory carvings. Xavier Aaronson/VICE

Here, a pile of high-quality mammoth tusks are wrapped up and stacked in the office. VICE Staff/VICE

Orphan Black returns April 18th 9e/10p on Space. ​Catch up now.