No law to sell; Government should burn ivory worth Rs 260 crore

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The forest department has more than 13 tonnes of ivory collected from dead elephants and seized in cases. The sale of these, which have a market value of over Rs 260 crore, is prohibited by law. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has directed that the ivory in Kerala's possession should be burnt and destroyed as per the 2023 Act.

Elephant tusks are kept in the strong rooms of the forest department headquarters, range offices and district treasuries. Elephant tusks are also in courts as evidence. The government had earlier given permission to the Chief Wildlife Warden to hand over elephant tusks and deer tusks to the army offices. That is how it was handed over to the Pangod camp. The government handed over elephant tusks in 1991 along with a certificate of ownership to be installed in the Wayanad Collector's office. Elephant tusks are displayed in high offices as a symbol of wildlife conservation and forest wealth. The Madras Regiment 6 and the Gurkha Rifles 4 at the Pangod Army Centre had approached the Forest Department in 2024, requesting elephant tusks. They could not be handed over as the Centre opposed.

Elephant tusks have not been burned in Kerala. Forest Minister AK Saseendran has publicly denied this. However, deer tusks and bison tusks in the custody of the Forest Department have been burned. These are the ones seized in cases. The Karnataka government had burned and destroyed elephant tusks years ago after obtaining central permission.

The Deputy Inspector General of Forests had written to the Forest Department stating that under the Forest Conservation Act of 1972, elephant tusks were under the jurisdiction of the state government and could not be handed over to anyone else for safekeeping. The tusks were given to the army and collectors in violation of this. The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has also handed over elephant tusks to the Army.

The rule is that if a wild or domestic elephant dies, its tusks and nails must be given to the government. More than sixty elephants die every year. Most of them are wild elephants. Elephants die due to electrocution, being hit by trains, and due to disease. They are also hunted for their tusks. 500 kg of tusks were seized in the Malayattoor case.

₹2 crore

The FIR states that the two elephant tusks looted from the Pangod Army base are worth ₹2 crore.