Ivory disappeared from eight dead wild elephants of Malayattoor, Kerala’s Vazachal forests

Tusks and tush (tusks similar to the teeth of a female elephant) were found missing from the bodies of eight of the 14 wild elephants found dead in Kerala’s Malayattoor and Vazhachal forest divisions last year.

A special investigation team investigating “monsoon-related deaths of elephants in Malayattoor and Vazachal Forest Divisions between August 6 and August 31, 2025” reported the loss of ivory and ink from the carcasses.

A report prepared by a team led by DK Vinod Kumar, Principal Conservator of Forests, High Range Circle, Kottayam, found that tush was missing from five female carcasses and ivory from three male ones. Ivory was also found to be present in only two males and tush in two females.

The ivory was recovered from two carcasses found in Kandanpara and Manikandanchal on August 6 and 7, 2025. In three other cases, the gender of the animals could not be determined as the carcasses were found in an advanced stage of decomposition, the report said.

However, the SIT ruled out any possibility of any “intentional or accidental human-caused mortality”, namely poaching, poisoning, weapon injuries or anthropogenic intervention in the elephant deaths. She ruled out poaching as the cause of death because “no evidence of forcible extraction” of ivory could be found in the carcasses based on examination of the tooth beds.

The case of missing ivory/tush assumes significance due to the massive poaching of wild lizards reported in the Malayattoor forest area a decade ago. Poachers then shot 16 tuskers in the area.

The panel, which concluded that “traumatic injury from falls from a height while navigating steep river banks and crossings during high water flow killed most animals”, recommended removal and safe storage of tusks, disposal of the carcass by deep burial or natural washing, and preservation of skulls for future verification.

Meanwhile, P. Pugazhendi, Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW), Kerala, has sought an explanation from the Chief Conservator of Forests, Central Circle, regarding the “non-recovery of tusks/tush from an elephant” found dead on August 30, 2025 in the Kuttampuzha forest range of Malayattoor.

CWW sought “specific reasons why tusks/carcasses were not recovered from the carcass” and whether “a case of wildlife crime was registered in connection with the incident”.

Details of “case number, date of registration and present status of investigation” and details of action taken by the concerned field officers immediately after the dead body was found were also sought.

Reacting to the development, P. Karthik, Divisional Forest Officer, Malayattoor Forest Division, said that recovery of ivory was not possible in all cases due to the inaccessible terrain where the corpses were found.

There is a possibility that the tusks will be washed downstream in a strong current or become caught in rock crevices. An earlier search in the area yielded no results. Further searches would only be possible when the water level drops, he added.

Published – 26 Jul 2026 14:50 IST