( CNN ) An elephant leg as a trash can . A crocodile skin for a bathroom carpet . A bear skin to help a man project power in the bedroom . These are just some of the objects confiscated by Polish customs officers and documented by Adam Lach , a photographer and filmmaker at Napo Images . For Lach , the illegal wildlife trade symbolizes the devastation that can result from human thoughtlessness , `` which , like locusts , can destroy all we have around us . '' Lach first learned about the illicit trade when he was a teenager in the 1990s . He was shocked by the stories he heard . But it was seeing an exhibit of trafficked animal goods -- items seized by customs officials at an airport in Warsaw , Poland -- that prompted him to embark on his photographic project `` Human Tsunami . '' `` I am not an idealist , but in our world we have the belief that we are the only valuable existence on planet Earth -- and this is not acceptable , '' Lach said . `` The relation of men towards animals and nature is a reflection of the characteristics of the whole human population , as we still allow crimes against animals and nature . We do not understand that respecting the planet translates into respect of the people for themselves . `` Let us keep balance and let us use only what we need to live by . Cutting off the leg of an elephant and using it as a trash can is a testament to our hypocrisy . '' Lach 's pictures were mostly taken over a two-week period , although he anticipates taking more in the future . Some of the specimens shown were confiscated years ago at the Warsaw airport , which placed its exhibit in the middle of the departures terminal to raise awareness of the problem . Lach 's images are not a story about a particular airport , he said , but they reflect a wider issue . `` Through these photographs , I will try to sensitize people and make them aware that they are often part of the problem , '' he said . `` This project aims to show human arrogance and folly and to build in us humility . `` In my work I often use the sense of peace and tranquility in the photographs . I avoid screaming images . Hence the idea of a black background -- I wanted to isolate these exhibits to give them the rank of authenticity and pain . `` I wanted to pass on , as well , how uncomfortable I felt when I had to touch and set up these exhibits to be photographed or listen to horror stories of the customs officers . '' One story that stood out in particular for Lach was that of a rapid decline in a seahorse species surrounding Indonesia . `` This decline came suddenly , out of nowhere , '' he recounted . `` A short time afterwards , the Polish customs officers intercepted a cargo of dried seahorses . It turned out that some Indonesian company exported them to Poland as dietary supplements , a total of 27 tons of seahorses . `` How many seahorses had to die to produce 27 tons of powder ? Millions . That almost threatened the extinction of the entire population , perhaps even more than one species . `` It shows how easy it is to cause irreparable damage to nature and how stupid we are . '' Polish customs officers have done well in combating the trade , Lach said . They no longer find cardboard boxes filled with hundreds of turtles , or parrot cages containing tied-up birds , or containers of snakes and lizards that are stuffed so full that only half survived the trip , he said . Now , smuggling efforts are more likely to involve someone trying to transport a baby monkey or pass off a serval -- an African wild cat -- as a domestic cat , he said . Social media . Follow @ CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography . `` At first glance , it seems therefore that it is better . But it is not , '' Lach said . `` This illegal trade is running as before , even faster , only ever more discreetly . `` Before , this trade flourished in markets and pet stores , while today traders often use the Internet . It is not only convenient , but also safer . The merchant offers for sale one or two pieces , sends them by courier , and if there is a setback , the loss is small . `` The criminal responsibility is smaller too , because it deals with smuggling a single specimen . Illegal transactions favor the Internet . A global network does not recognize borders . '' Today , Lach said , anyone with an Internet connection can visit the traffickers ' websites . `` The only limitation is language , '' he said . `` One who knows languages can buy everything . '' Adam Lach is a Polish photographer . You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook .
A Polish airport has an exhibit showing some of the illegal animal goods it has seized . Photographer Adam Lach recently took photos to document the problem . He hopes to sensitize people and make them aware they 're part of the problem .