Tiger Seized In Central London

Officers from the Met's Wildlife Crime Unit seized a stuffed adult tiger from a studio near Oxford Street yesterday afternoon. The tiger was originally brought into Britain for a fashion shoot last year by the late Alexander McQueen. Though it is here legally, our Byzantine animal preservation laws restrict the sale and transfer of animals killed after 1947. A 48-year old man was arrested; police suspect he was planning to sell the taxidermied tiger, fine examples of which can fetch up to £75,000. As previously documented, eco-crime remains a major problem in London, and this arrest, part of the Met's ongoing Operation Charm, is a small victory in a war that won't be won soon.