The Metropolitan Police Department says that a set of elephant tusks given to the District in 1954 by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie went missing from the John A. Wilson Building last August. And, no, none of that sentence was made up.
Officials say the prized ivory went missing between August 12 and August 27, when someone in the building noticed the tusks were gone. The DC Council was out of session during that span. Police did not say why it took more than four months to alert the public that Selassie’s gift had been stolen.
A police spokesman tells Washingtonian he does not know if the tusks have a current appraised value, but elephant ivory is extremely valuable. A pair of female African elephant tusks sold at auction in August 2012 for $30,000.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Elephant Tusks Donated to DC in 1954 Were Stolen Last August
The tusks were a gift from Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie.
The Metropolitan Police Department says that a set of elephant tusks given to the District in 1954 by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie went missing from the John A. Wilson Building last August. And, no, none of that sentence was made up.
Officials say the prized ivory went missing between August 12 and August 27, when someone in the building noticed the tusks were gone. The DC Council was out of session during that span. Police did not say why it took more than four months to alert the public that Selassie’s gift had been stolen.
A police spokesman tells Washingtonian he does not know if the tusks have a current appraised value, but elephant ivory is extremely valuable. A pair of female African elephant tusks sold at auction in August 2012 for $30,000.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
Meet the 2023 Washingtonians of the Year
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
DC Area College Students Protest Gaza War at George Washington University Encampment
Here Are the Celebrities Coming to Town for the White House Correspondents Dinner
Insomnia Cookies, Picnic Blankets: Waiting in Line for Trump’s Supreme Court Case
PHOTOS: Demonstrators Gather Outside the Supreme Court as It Hears Arguments on Emergency Abortion Case
DC’s Coolest Jobs: A Jazz Detective. Orchid Whisperer. Armageddon Stopper.
Seven Miles of Georgia Avenue Will Have a Bus-Only Lane This Summer
What We’ll Miss (or Won’t Miss) About Foxtrot
Foxtrot Is Closing Its DC-Area Stores