Karnataka Forest Department is going to burn more than 12 tonnes of seized ivory in October. According to BJ Hosmath, chief wildlife warden, the department would destroy 12 tonnes of seized ivory by consigned to flames .
The ivory which is piling in the godowns of the forest department in southern city of Mysuru most of them have been seized from forest brigand Veerappan who is to kill elephants at the vantage points in the elephant corridors spread across Karnataka , Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the Niligiri biosphere.
According to BJ Hosmath, the Government has already given the go ahead to destroy all the ivory. While most of it was recovered from poachers and traders, some tusks were removed from elephants dying a natural death. The strong room in Mysuru is also a place for sandalwood seized by various law enforcement agencies.
“This will be the first time such an operation would be held in Karnataka,” said Hosmath. “Of the 12 tonnes with us, about half will be burnt in the first phase. We will destroy the rest in subsequent phases. Some ivory will be donated for research,” he added.
Praveen Bhargav, wildlife expert and trustee of Wildlife First, welcomed the decision. “Ivory is prised in the international market, and its presence anywhere is not safe” he said.
Raman Sukumar, an expert on Asiatic elephants and climate change, of the Indian Institute of Science, favours burning of seized ivory. According to him the forest department consulted him and said this shows ivory has no commercial value.
Tiger and leopard skins seized from poachers and smugglers have been periodically burned in the state. But this is for the first time forest department is destroying large chunk of ivory kept in the godown for the past three decades.
Karnataka has the largest population of Asiatic elephants in the country with some 6000 of the country’s 28,000 elephants in the wild.
African countries often burned down ivory seized from poachers rampant in that region. Kenya recently hit the headlines by burning 105 tonnes of ivory seized from poachers who killed hundreds of elephants over the past several years in that country.