After Dad and Daughter arrested from Kerala with ivory, 6790 kgs of red sandalwood seized in Kolkata

Kolkata, Mar 14 (UNI) After a dad and daughter from Kerala arrested
with banned ivory sculptures and elephant tusk worth Rs 34 lakh, the
DRI seized 6790 kgs of red sandalwood valued about over Rs 3.5 crore from
this metropolis, which turned to one of transit routes of contraband goods.

Altogether five people, three of them in the ivory case, have been
arrested following investigations by the Directorate of Revenue
Services (DRI), a central agency.

Father Sudheesh Chandra Babu,(67) and his daughter Amitha SC Babu
(37) have been arrested early this week when their chartered vehicle
was frisked at Kona Expressway on their temporary home in south Kolkata.

The father brought the ivory and elephant task from Kottayam.

The duo used to bring elephant tusks from Kerala and sculpted to
different kind of small sized statutes, mainly Hindu god and goddess.

A linkman, Gautam Bhaskar, a resident of Jiagunj of Murshidabad
district, also arrested in this connection. The linkman used to
exports those sculptors to foreign counties though the corridor of
Siliguri in north Bengal to Bangladesh, and Nepal.

Two pieces of elephant tusk weighing around 3 kgs were found when the
DRI arrested them. Later a raid at their temporary residence at Kasba
seized several carved ivory statuettes. The combined worth of the
hauls would be several crores of rupees.

The DRI got inputs from the Wild Life Crime Bureau in Kerala and since
then the DRI laid a trap and finally arrested the dag and daughter
red handed.

Sudheesh’s wife, wanted in a 2015 elephant poaching case in Kerala,
and their son are absconding, the official said.

The DRI also seized a covered truck from port area and recovered red
sandal woods weighing about 6790 kgs, worth over Rs 3.5 crores.

Two people have been arrested in this connection.

UNI PC RN

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DRI seizes nearly 17 kg elephant tusk in West Bengal

Siliguri (West Bengal), Jan 2 The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized nearly 17 kg elephant tusk near here, according to an official statement issued Wednesday.

The recovery was done from a Kolkata-bound vehicle at Ghoshpukur in the outskirts of Siliguri.

The tusks in four pieces were being secretly transported in the vehicle, which was loaded with a consignment of black tea, from Guwahati, it said.

On interrogation, the driver of the impugned vehicle admitted that the elephant tusks were handed to him in Baihata Chariali town for transport to Kolkata, the statement said.

"Preliminary investigation has revealed that the tusks were extracted from poached elephants in the forested areas of Assam and were being carried to Kolkata for ultimate export to south east Asian countries via Bangladesh," it said.

Consequently, the tusks, valued at about Rs 1.69 crore in the international market, were seized, the statement added.

The DRI has detected a series of cases involving trafficking of elephants tusks in the past.

In four such cases, a total of 38.6 kg of elephant tusks were seized by the DRI last year. Eight people were arrested in these cases. AKV IJT

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Four people arrested on charges of illegally transporting elephant tusks in the district

Mysuru, Dec 16(UNI) In a swift operation police have arrested four people involved in
illegally transporting and trying to sell the elephant tusk near Kanur village in Kollegal taluk.

Police said on Sunday that the arrested were identified as Vije, Kiran, Mahadeva Swmay
and Pradeep. They were caught red handed when they transported and tried to sell the
tusks at H D Kote hand post.

Police have registered a case in this connection and accused have been remanded for judicial
custody by a Magistrate before whom he was produce.

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PETA seeks inquiry into tusk trimming of an elephant in India

A video clip showing a group of workers trimming an elephant's tusk in Kerala, a southern state in India, has alarmed animal rights groups.

Artisans can be seen cutting, sawing and shaving the animal's tusk, using old and rusted tools. During the entire process, the elephant keeps lying on the ground, frequently gasping.

The video was shot at Thiruvarattukav, near Attingal of Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala on November 6. Such trimming is done to remove broken or damage part of the tusk, locals said.

The ivory, dust and small pieces could be seen falling on the ground as the tusk is being shaved, while large pieces were being handed over to a security person. It's difficult to ascertain whether the elephant was sedated.

According to 2008 guidelines issued by India's Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), such practices, carried out on the tusk of a captive elephant should be authorized by the Chief Wildlife Warden.

“For cutting or shaping the tusk, a letter should be sent by registered post, including the location where it will be done, and the name of the competent person who would operate, at least one month in advance,” the law states.

Screenshots of the carving carried out on a live elephant were submitted to People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). In an emailed response to CGTN, the organization demanded a probe into the incident.

“An inquiry must be conducted by the forest department on this matter, where few people are observed to be cutting or carving the tusks of an elephant, as shown in the picture,” PETA statement maintained.

Senior officials pointed out that investigation can reveal whether there was any violation of the animal protection law.

“Various inspections conducted by Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and investigations done by PETA India, on captive elephants used for rituals in temples of Southern India like Kerala, Tamil Nadu. Also, those used for joy rides and processions in the states like Rajasthan, Goa,” Peta said.

TRAFFIC, a global wildlife monitoring agency maintained that the practice is not something that would break any international legislation unless any ivory removed during the process was traded across a border.

“However, it is possible, it may be breaking some domestic legislation,” a senior TRAFFIC official told CGTN.

According to Amboseli Trust for Elephants, removing tusk from a living elephant could be painful. “There is a nerve that runs well down the length of an elephant's tusk. Cutting the tusk off would be painful.”

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Elephant tusk seized, six persons arrested by police

Bhubaneswar, Dec 11 (PTI) Odisha Police has seized elephant tusk and arrested six persons for their alleged involvement in wildlife trafficking in Mayurbhanj district, a police officer said Tuesday.

A team of Special Task Force of Crime Branch led by DSP Tejraj Patel raided several hideouts and arrested six accused identified as Agnisar Nayak, Chaianya Nayak, Pratap Nayak, Kesab Dehuri, Gopinath Nayak and Nakula Dehuri Monday night.

The six arrested persons hail from Ambadiha Colony under Udala police limits in Mayurbhanj district.

“During search, a piece of trophy of elephant tusk weighing 500 gm was recovered form the house of Agnisar Nayak,” Patel said.

The STF had earlier arrested four persons after recovering two live pangolins which they were planning to sell off at Ambadhia colony.

Stating that they suspect involvement of an international racket behind the smuggling of wildlife in the state, Patel said the STF would soon identify other accused engaged in the illegal trade.

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Gang smuggling sambar horns nabbed in Belagavi

Belagavi: A special investigation team of the CCB has nabbed five people allegedly involved in smuggling horns of sambar weighing 11.25kg at Belagundi village in Belagavi taluk.
The accused include three people who killed the endangered species and collected their horns with an intention to sell them in the international market. Nagesh Madar, 23, Ramachandra Dalavi, 26, residents of Manaturga village in Khanapur taluk, and Ravindra Kolkar, 27, of Hadalaga, polished the horns till they turned white to cheat buyers, saying that they are elephant tusks. Prospective buyers Parashram Nilajkar, 23, and Aman Kanabargi, 20, of Chapgaon were also arrested, said police commissioner D C Rajappa.

Rajappa formed a team comprising CCB inspector Chandrakant LT to conduct the raid on Tuesday under the guidance of Seema Latkar, DCP (law and order) and Mahaning Nandgavi, DCP (crime and traffic).

A motorcycle worth Rs 25,000 was also recovered during the raid.

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Two poachers with elephant tusk worth Rs 1 crore arrested from Siliguri

Siliguri, Feb 16 (UNI) Two poachers, including one from Assam, have been arrested with a full sized elephant tusk worth Rs 1 crore by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) during frisking on a long distance bus from Lakhimpur at Siliguri, DRI officials today said.

The single tusk weighing about 12.5 kgs divided in three pieces. The consignment was for Nepal.

Sariful Islam from Assam and Sontosh Pradhan from Siliguri arrested from Mallaguri with tusk.

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Man held with tusks

A 28-year-old man was arrested today after he was found in possession of two tusks, which he had allegedly removed from a dead elephant a week ago near Gudalur, some 80 km from here, officials said.

Forest department officials noticed that the tusks of the 10-year-old elephant, which was found dead in Devala, were missing and launched a search to nab the poachers.

On information that one Manikandan was reportedly trying to sell the tusks, officials nabbed him this morning, officials said.

The officials recovered the tusks, which was buried in a farm and produced Manikandan before a local court, which remanded him to custody.

A search is on for the owner of the farm, they said.

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Jumbo carcass riddle

The carcass of an adult male wild elephant, with its tusks, trunk and tail chopped off and chunks of meat hacked off from the body, was found at Dolopa village, 37km from Assam's Sivasagar town, on Saturday.

Residents who found the carcass in the wee hours said the elephant could have been poisoned as it appeared to be healthy. They said the tusks, trunk and tail were missing and chunks of meat had been carved out of the body with a sharp weapon.

They, however, refused to speculate whether the animal was killed for alleged meat consumption though they admitted that some locals do consume elephant meat.

They said the elephant had strayed from its herd and was seen wandering in the area on Friday.

Forest officials rushed to the spot and collected samples from the carcass for investigation. They later buried the carcass in the adjoining field.

Divisional forest officer of Sivasagar forest division Bidya Bordoloi said they conducted post-mortem at the site but did not find any trace of poison. They have sent samples to the forensic lab and are expecting the report next week.

Bordoloi said the death was "mysterious", ruling out electrocution as well. Asked the reason for the animal's death, he said nothing could be said till they receive the forensic report.

Residents said elephants, revered as a religious and cultural icon in India, are regarded as enemies in the area as they regularly stomp into the villages, damage paddy fields and demolish houses. "Several incidents of attack on villagers have been reported too," a villager said. Because of the man-elephant conflict, locals at times take extreme measures such as poisoning jumbos, he added.

The area is frequented by wild elephants and several incidents of man-elephant conflict have been reported from there in the recent past. Several elephant carcasses have been recovered without the trunk or tail.

Though, elephants are hounded and killed when they wander into human settlements, damage crops and houses, they are also killed for ivory.

India has nearly 30,000 elephants in its forests and reserves and the animal enjoys the highest Schedule 1 species status under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. It is also declared endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Elephant meat is considered a delicacy in some Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam and in African nations like Cameroon and Congo.

The Indian elephant is native to India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Laos, China, Cambodia and Vietnam.

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Sashastra Seema Bal now a nemesis for wildlife smugglers

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has had a good run in nabbing the smugglers involved in carrying out wildlife crime. This year, SSB has seized things worth Rs 187.69 crore from 93 smugglers. These smugglers were involved in smuggling endangered species like Tokey Gecko lizards and prohibited items like snake venom, tiger and leopard skins and bones, elephant tusks/ivory, rhino horn, snake sand boa, tortoise, turtle and deer, deer skin and deer meat.

Recently, the SSB apprehended snake venom worth Rs 100 crore in West Bengal, which happens to the be the most wildlife-crime prone state with 125 cases followed by Uttar Pradesh with 54 cases.

Sources said Alipurduar in West Bengal is the main hub of wildlife smuggling from where 98 cases had been reported followed by Bahraich (15 cases) and Balrampur (15cases) in UP, Udalguri (14cases) in Assam, Jailpaiguri (12) and Darjeeling (10) in West Bengal.

Other areas of wildlife smuggling are Lakhimpur Kheri in UP and Kishanganj and West Champaran in Bihar. The illegal trade also includes body parts of dead animals like rhino horns, leopard skin and paw, deer horn and skull, rein deer skin, barking deer skin and elephant trunk.

The data shows that the price of seized products showed a massive increase to Rs11.16 crore and Rs 46.62 crore with the arrest of 43 and 70 smugglers in 2015 and 2016 respectively. In 2017, the SSB team has seized wild life products worth Rs 187.69 crore from 93 smugglers in 82 cases.

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Three arrested, elephant tusk recovered

The RMC Yard police have arrested three persons and recovered an elephant tusk weighing 13.5 kg from them.

The accused have been identified as A.B. Dharmanna (35), Basavanna (48) and Manja (28). The accused were caught red handed while they were waiting at the Yeshwanthpur metro station to sell the tusk to a client.

The police have taken the trio into custody and are trying to ascertain the source of the tusk.

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Jacqueline happy with the rescue of an old elephant

Actress Jacqueline Fernandez is known to be an Animal lover. The actress is extremely sensitive towards animals, and is often seen being vocal of her thoughts on various topics pertaining to them.

The actress took to Twitter to express her gratitude to Sudhir Mungantiwar, from the Forest ministry and Peta India for having taken measures to ensure the well meaning of the wild animal.

Gajraj is a 63 years old elephant who was held in chains for tourist attraction at a temple in Satara, India, was rescued by officials.

The animal was held in captivity for 50 years is dying in agony and has had its tusks chopped off.

The captivity resulted in painful abscesses on his hind quarters and elbows with mental distress caused by social isolation and continuous abuse in captivity.

On hearing about the plight of the old elephant, Jacqueline Fernandez was deeply moved. The news of Gajraj came as a sigh of relief for the actress, who took to Twitter to express her happiness.

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Elephants being killed in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh for trunk meat

Reports of elephant meat consumption in parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have raised the hackles of forest officials and wildlife activists.

On May 1, the mutilated carcass of a wild elephant was discovered at Ahutoli village in the eastern state's Nagaon district. This is about 130 km from capital Guwahati. While the tusks being missing is a usual sight, villagers were surprised to see the whole 7-foot bloodied trunk hacked off and lying some distance away.

Local folklore in the Karbi Anglong Hills, where the incident occurred, said the "trunk is the tastiest part of the jumbo's body." Some members of the residing tribal communities here, including Karbi, Garo, Dimasa, Adivasis, are known to indulge in this wild meat.

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