Yacht Needs a New Decorator

I realize that I have been light on substance of late.  I blame a lack of particularly interesting news. I do have a court case or two to blog.  Plus, I am mulling over whether I think it is a good idea to set up a prior disclosure process for importers of goods violating U.S. trademark and copyright laws.

While those things percolate in my under-caffeinated brain, I am fascinated by this Miami Herald story.  First, it is in keeping with my ongoing interest in animal smuggling.  Second, there is a certain level of James Bond-style intrigue involved.  The offending (and offensive) vessel is registered to a corporation in the Cayman Islands.  The sole function of the corporation is to own the yacht as an asset and the sole director named in the article is a Russian billionaire.  The captain, when questioned by authorities, did not know the name of the owner.  Also odd is that the yacht seems to have traveled fairly freely in Europe without anyone noticing the elephant hide humidor, stuffed lion, or zebra pelt comforter.  

Here is a photograph of the 150', $26 million yacht.

The second interesting thing is that this seems to prove the proposition that lots of money does not buy impeccable taste.