Oxfordshire man who illegally sold sperm whale teeth sentenced for wildlife crime offences

A man from Oxfordshire who illegally sold sperm whale teeth has now been given a community order.

Tevita Lavaki possessed a total of 46 sperm whale teeth with a combined value of more than £18,000.

The teeth were found at his home and the 50-year-old had been selling the teeth between August and September last year (2022).

Sperm whales are an endangered species and are protected.

Lavaki has been ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work.

What is the appeal of sperm whale teeth?

The tooth of the sperm whale known as a 'tabua' is perhaps the most valuable of all traditional Fijian objects. 

The teeth are polished and used as gifts or decorations in some cultures.

In Fiji a sperm whale’s teeth can be gifted by a groom and his family to the parents of the future bride when he asks permission to marry her.

However the teeth are not just seen seen exclusively as wedding gifts, but can also be seen as a valuable gifts for births, deaths or general festivities.

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