8,000 Kg of Ivory Destruction, Kerala Wildlife Chief Seeking Permission

10 September 2013
Thiruvananthapuram

The chief wildlife warden of Kerala has sought permission from the state government to destroy around 8,000 kg of elephant tusks in possession of the forest department since the 1980s. V. Gopinathan has written a letter to the state government for permission.

According to international and Indian laws and the Wildlife Protection Act, use of ivory in whatever form is banned, Gopinathan told IANS.”As far as we are concerned, what we have is a ‘zero value product’. A huge amount of resources are being used to guard this quantity that is in our possession since the ‘eighties, when the ban was enforced,” he said.

However, even though for technical reasons the ivory has been declared a “zero value product”, in the international black market its estimated price runs into millions of dollars.”Giving you an approximate value of the ivory is not permitted because it is against the law. As far as we are concerned, we have sought the government’s permission to destroy it.”

“Maybe, we can hand a bit of what we have to the museums, but there is a limit to that and even after that there will be lot left,” he said.

Source– http://www.business-standard.com

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