"Confusing" UK laws are spurring the trade in endangered species, a wildlife charity has said.
Unhelpful legislation and inconsistent sentencing have helped make London a hub for the £13bn business, they say.
Police have also spoken out about the confusion and have been giving evidence to MPs, who are seeking to clarify the regulations and increase penalties.
Current rules require that police consult a veterinary surgeon if they seize furniture made from rare trees.
In the building that houses the stores of the Metropolitan Police in London sits a grisly collection of animal parts confiscated from the illegal trade in endangered species.
Among the ivory tusks, stuffed tigers and bear skins, Sergeant Ian Knox, who heads the Wildlife Crime Unit, unzips a plain looking holdall to reveal the white head of a fully grown polar bear - now turned into a dead eyed rug.
"We seized this near Portobello Road some years ago - the owner said it was in his possession for 25 years, but when we analysed the plywood on which the head is mounted we found it had been made at most two years previously."
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