A narwhal tusk and a dead cheetah. Seattle turns in its animal shame

In 2013, Brandon Lueken of Seattle inherited jewelry made of mammoth ivory from his dad.

Lueken put it in a box and didn’t think about it until, he said, “I was trying to do some Kondo-ing." (That’s Marie Kondo, of tidying fame.)

Lueken brought the jewelry to the Woodland Park Zoo on Saturday as part of the zoo’s “Toss the tusk” event where individuals could drop off materials made of endangered animals, no questions asked.

More than 300 items were dropped off — including a long pointy narwhal tooth, rugs made of cheetah and leopard, and dominoes made of walrus tusk. In 2015, it became illegal in Washington state to buy, sell or trade products made from endangered animals, including tigers, elephants, and rhinoceroses.

While it's become taboo to buy such objects today, it was commonplace a generation ago.

Agnes Overbaugh, who was at Saturday's event, said she bought an ivory bracelet and matching necklace at Pike Place Market years back at a stand specializing in "imports."

She brought them to the zoo, because she didn't feel comfortable having them anymore.

"The way we look at animal products has changed over the years, so I don't feel comfortable wearing it," Overbaugh said. "At that time people didn't even think about what they were selling and what it meant."

Linda Brown came to the zoo on Saturday with a box of ivory artifacts her grandmother got in the late 1800s in the Philippines when she was a missionary there.

Brown said she felt guilty having these objects and even considered performing a burial for them.

“I felt an obligation, I didn’t know what to do with the pieces. They represent something that is repulsive to me," she said.

Despite their sentimental value, she’s relieved to be rid of them.

Carol Laurier's parents spent some time in Asia during World War II, and they brought back items made from tortoises and what she believes is elephant ivory.

She hopes that the items she brought to Woodland Park Zoo will go toward education around animal trafficking.

All the items collected on Saturday went into the possession of state law enforcement. Some might be used for educational purposes.

Rubai Aurora of the Woodland Park Zoo said she believes turning in these items is part of that education. According to the National Geographic, the illegal ivory trade has contributed to the deaths of over 30,000 elephants a year. Ivory items remain popular to buy.

Although illegal to buy, sell, or trade in Washington state, many of these items don't have the same restrictions under federal law. In March, the Trump administration lifted a ban on importing some elephant and lion trophies from Africa.

"We need people to understand that a trophy is not as valuable as an animal's life," Aurora said.