Crimes against nature: how greed fuels illegal trade in animal parts

Scotland Yard's small wildlife unit opens its store of raided treasures for the first time

Row upon row of primate skulls sit in a glass case, jaws stuck forever in a grimace. Rhino horns big and small rise from a table, a depiction of Jesus on the cross in ivory lies on a table, as does a polar bear skin; in the corner a rack is laden with fur coats; another glass case contains mounted butterflies.

The items - a mix of the achingly beautiful and the macabre - sit in a storeroom in south London. They are all items seized by Scotland Yard's wildlife crime unit and behind most is a story showing how greed, obsession and the yearning for profit collide.