Sign in

Damien Huffer

@damienhuffer.bsky.social
4.1K followers 1.9K following 1.5K posts

Working at the nexus of heritage and wildlife crime, w/a hefty dash of human remains trafficking research and advocacy | Res. Fellow Adelaide U. |🔎💵💀🖥️ | Taiko drummer, Home cook, Husband | Co-founder of @counteringcrime 🏳️‍🌈⚣ he/him

PostsRepliesMedia
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 1h
www.abc.net.au/news/science... Thanks for the good reporting on this important topic. Domestic markets represent exploitable loopholes. @peterdekruijff.bsky.social @counteringcrime.bsky.social
abc.net.au
Ivory still legal to sell in Australia despite 2019 promise to ban it
A new study has found hardly any of the $1.2 million worth of elephant ivory sold or advertised in a six-month period in Australia came with paperwork proving its origin.
000
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Steph Halmhofer @cultarchaeo.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
As someone interested in pseudoarch uses of archaeological prospection & geophysics tools, it has been interesting watching the social media push from the Noahs Ark Scans project as they try to spin a new narrative 🤔 (they found nothing but need people to believe that's part of finding something).
static.klipy.com
Alt: Man showing up to the side of a sports field and throwing open a camping chair before sitting down in it with a smirk.
1103
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
#Tucson city lights from the top of Swan Rd. in the Catalinas. As is tradition when I'm home.
120
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Leaving Sedona. Funky fancy town, gorgeous setting.
040
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
On the way to Sedona.
010
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
news.mongabay.com/2026/09/rept... Excellent reporting from @mongabay.com, featuring Wildlife Crime Research Hub work!
news.mongabay.com
Reptiles, gold and money: How Australia is cracking down on wildlife trafficking
In Australia in May 2026, Yang Zeng, a 28-year-old Chinese national who was unlawfully in the country, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. Zeng was convicted on nine charges related to th...
030
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Passing by Picacho peak, Pinal Co., AZ, on the start of a family road trip. Sonoran desert heartland.
010
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
www.bbc.com/news/article... @museumofloot.bsky.social @counteringcrime.bsky.social
bbc.com
Cultural treasures are being destroyed by war, and people want justice
A cauldron of conflicts is bubbling across the world, with cultural monuments being destroyed. These people are fighting against it.
021
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
www.theweek.in/voices/colum... @museumofloot.bsky.social
theweek.in
Idol smuggler Subhash Kapoor’s journey comes full circle
Fourteen years after India brought Subhash Chandra Kapoor from Germany to face an idol theft case, the convicted antiquities dealer is all set to be extradited back to Germany
020
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Arizona Daily Star @tucson.com · 19/09/2026
“Weird Al” Yankovic now has an asteroid named after him, thanks to the efforts of a planetary scientist with deep connections to the University of Arizona.
tucson.com
‘Weird’ science: U of A grad helped get asteroid named after Al Yankovic
“Weird Al” Yankovic now has an asteroid named after him, thanks to the efforts of a planetary scientist with deep connections to the University of Arizona.
022
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Made it back to cactus-landia.
010
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
BNE -> SYD -> DFW -> TUC. Three years since I've been home. Hard to know where home is anymore. I return for family, friends, food, desert air, and to check on the "resistance."
static.klipy.com
Welcome Home
ALT: Welcome Home
001
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Dan Stiles @kenyadan.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
A lot of great ape trafficking recently, India increasingly a destination. freetheapes.org/2026/09/13/m...
freetheapes.org
Major live wildlife seizures made in Egypt, Nigeria and India in 2026 – Great ape trafficking still active
Four international great ape seizures have occurred up to August this year, suggesting that demand for great apes in the exotic pet and private zoo industries is still strong. For every seizure, ex…
002
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Oxford Biology @biology.ox.ac.uk · 12/08/2026
Most wildlife laws regulate or prohibit use and trade of certain species - but illegal and unsustainable trade still exists. A new blog by @danchallender.bsky.social & @orchiddelirium.bsky.social discusses whether an alternative approach - reverse listing - is any better 👇
bit.ly
Would a whitelist work better to regulate the world’s wildlife trade?
167
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Punished Cat Guy (extra punished Cenobite version) @majima.club · 09/09/2026
Everyone stop talking and take a kitten break
37122
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Odisha: Five baby orangutans found in India forest spark trafficking investigation
The critically endangered apes were found far from their natural habitat in the eastern Indian state of Odisha.
021
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Today’s rally to save the academy of natural sciences was incredible. Hundreds of people turned out. This is only the beginning. Follow along with save-the-academy.org
14780197
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I am gutted to hear that I wasn't successful in my 3rd and final go at the ARC Future Fellowship. It will take a good amount of time to process....but I am choosing to believe that other doors will open. If you're interested in what I do and want to talk collabs, do reach out :)
010
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Some good coverage by @adelaideuni.bsky.social of the recently released Aussie domestic ivory market paper. adelaide.edu.au/about/news/2...
adelaide.edu.au
More than $1 million in elephant ivory advertised online in Australia
001
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
🚨New Publication Alert! 🚨 I am excited to announce that my co-authors from the Wildlife Crime Research Hub, as well as School of Law - Adelaide University, have a new publication* out in Biological Conservation. The link is below.
sciencedirect.com
240
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/05/w... (paywalled) @museumofloot.bsky.social
nytimes.com
English Museum to Repatriate Colonial-Era Human Remains
The skeletal remains will go back to the Indigenous Naga people of the Indian subcontinent, six years after formal repatriation efforts began.
041
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Hat tip to the headline writer. Gotta get those eyes on the science!
110
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Students who nod and smile during lecture when we try to make a point? Heroes
872464163
Reposted by Damien Huffer
The Verge @theverge.com · 02/09/2026
As a new Harry Potter trailer makes the rounds, it bears repeating that there’s no way to watch this show without supporting J.K. Rowling’s bigotry and the structural violence she’s inflicting on the trans community.
theverge.com
There is no ethical consumption of HBO’s Harry Potter series
You can’t without supporting Rowling’s transphobic bigotry.
366201099886
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
news.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-... @counteringcrime.bsky.social
news.mongabay.com
The world’s reefs are disappearing. Coral trafficking is booming
ArtReef Rocks was an up-and-coming online shop offering aquarium accessories that made waves during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering hobbyists custom reefs and sculpted landscapes for their fish tanks....
001
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I've been seeing a lot of "well I guess this is the way things are now" "ah another line of evidence that we are a fallen empire", attitude that I am begging people to shake off. There are people working their butts off to make things better. Please don't give up. Join us.
13766203
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 30/08/2026
Beautiful launch of Nancy Grace Roman telescope! All looks good so far!
1394076
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
www.azfamily.com/2026/08/29/m...
azfamily.com
Man accused of stalking ex for 13 years had human skulls, John Wayne Gacy brain in a jar, authorities say
A Wisconsin man is accused of stalking a woman for 13 years and was found with human skulls and a jar containing part of John Wayne Gacy’s brain in his home.
010
Reposted by Damien Huffer
MapQuest @mapquest.com · 27/08/2026
We’re not changing it.
17536228311516
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
@museumofloot.bsky.social
000
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Durotriges Dig @durotrigesdig.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The archaeology of archaeology A shed used from 1910 by Arthur Bulleid and Harold St George Gray during excavations at Meare Iron Age Lake Village Rediscovered in 1982 filled with tools and newspapers dating from 1890 😮 Now at Avalon Archaeology #Somerset #IronworkThursday #MetalworkThursday
A corrugated iron (galvanised steel) shed with two windows and central open door
1022738
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Liz Climo @lizclimo.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
3588972261
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Rolling Stone @rollingstone.com · 25/08/2026
Dolly Parton's family asked that, in lieu of flowers, fans make a donation to the singer's Imagination Library. Here's what the charity does ⬇️ www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
rollingstone.com
Turning Pages: Inside Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Core team of 15 staff and thousands of volunteers and partners help the country-music philanthropist deliver books to kids around the world.
128190488288
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
R.I.P. Dolly. You will be missed :(
060
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Horrible... :(
010
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
archaeologymag.com/2026/08/mumm...
archaeologymag.com
Study exposes the real “mummy’s curse” behind the trade in mummified remains | Archaeology News Online Magazine
Study finds microbial risks and unsafe shipping practices in the online trade of mummified human and animal remains.
020
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
In its new rule to implement Trump’s anti-mail voting order, the United States Postal Service compared mail ballots to fake bombs and human and animal remains. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
democracydocket.com
USPS compares mail ballots to fake bombs, cremated remains
“Although ballot mail does not present precisely the same operational issues as cremated remains or replica explosives, it is unquestionably sensitive mail that raises unique operational consideration...
1471768829
Reposted by Damien Huffer
ARCA @arca-artcrime.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Europol has released its publication: “Changing tactics, changing targets: the evolving nature of museum heists” today highlighting low-level executors of thefts are randomly recruited on a crime-as-a-service basis.
europol.europa.eu
Museum heists turn violent: new Europol report on cultural property theft tactics – Report reveals alarming shift toward aggressive methods, targeted attacks, and the involvement of cross-market crimi...
Europol published a spotlight report today titled 'Changing tactics, changing targets: the evolving nature of museum heists', which reveals a shift in the methods and targets of museum thefts across E...
062
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Lucy, Mighty Bundle @mondaymorningdm.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
I'm joining the war on ice cream on the side of ice cream
31942183
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Excellent coverege of my et al.'s mummy biosec paper, with strong supporting quotes from @electricarchaeo.scholar.social.ap.brid.gy www.cbc.ca/news/science...
cbc.ca
People are trading mummified human remains online. Some scientists say that may be bad for their health | CBC News
In new research, scientists shine a light on a global, online trade in preserved human remains and raise the alarm about its potential health hazards.
177
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
groundup.org.za/article/more...
groundup.org.za
More than 2.5-million succulents seized from poachers
But this is probably less than a quarter of the illegal trade, CapeNature says
011
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
About damn time! www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Harvard agrees to pay millions after morgue manager sold body parts
Harvard Medical School has agreed to pay $53 million to families who alleged the school mishandled the donated remains of loved ones.
020
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Dr. Sarah Parcak @indyfromspace.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
If I ever catch anyone filming me with Meta glasses I will very excitedly ask them if I can look at them, I'll try them on, and then I'll drop them accidentally and step on them, I am so clumsy! I bet all of you are equally clumsy.
253086
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
CW: Human remains in thumbnail. My et al.'s mummy trade biosecurity/health risk paper has been covered in @thenationalnews.com MENA addition. Thanks, Daniel Bardsley for the solid coverage. @museumofloot.bsky.social @counteringcrime.bsky.social www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
thenationalnews.com
How the grisly trade in mummified body parts has created a modern 'mummy’s curse' | The National
Hazardous chemicals and microbes may endanger people handling skulls, hands and feet, new research indicates
010
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/art... @museumofloot.bsky.social
ctvnews.ca
2,000-year-old Peruvian cultural artifact recovered in Montreal
A small, pre-Hispanic bowl, believed to be roughly 2,000 years old, is returning to Peru after being located in Montreal.
043
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
www.bbc.com/news/article... @museumofloot.bsky.social
bbc.com
Four 'extraordinary' Renaissance paintings stolen from Italian museum
The works were taken overnight without alarms being triggered, raising suspicion of a professional hit.
002
Reposted by Damien Huffer
Liam Proven @lproven.social.vivaldi.net.ap.brid.gy · 16/08/2026
1230971168
Damien Huffer @damienhuffer.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Very cool paper by Dr. Schattke and colleagues on Colonial violence and human remains acquisitions for early museums. @museumofloot.bsky.social www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
Assessing Violence in a Museum Collection of Human Remains | Cambridge Archaeological Journal | Cambridge Core
Assessing Violence in a Museum Collection of Human Remains
012