In Borno State, Nigeria, the depletion of elephant populations due to the Boko Haram insurgency has triggered an adaptive shift in wildlife trafficking. As elephants migrated across the border into Cameroon's Waza National Park, poachers and traffickers turned to warthogs as an alternative source of ivory. Local hunters now sell warthogs for meat (fetching up to _200,000/$125 per animal) at markets like Molai, while their tusks – valued at approximately _30,000/$19 each locally – enter a shadowy supply chain that stretches from Maiduguri to Lagos and eventually to international markets. By the time they reach international markets, these same tusks – especially when carved or scrimshawed – can fetch up to $1,800, representing a nearly 95-fold increase in value. This dramatic markup incentivises continued poaching despite conservation efforts. Online retailers in the United States openly sell warthog tusks for prices ranging from $15.99 to $80 per pound, while South African markets offer them for as little as $10 each. This transition illustrates how quickly trafficking networks adapt when one species becomes scarce, revealing the flexibility and persistence of wildlife crime even in conflict zones.