The Kerala Forest Department, which had earlier turned down a request from Pangode Military Station, Thiruvananthapuram to get wildlife, including ivory, into its safe custody, was recently caught off guard by the reported theft of two pieces of ivory from the station’s officers’ canteen.
The department had no knowledge of ivory being held at a military installation.
Although the Kerala government was earlier in favor of handing over the articles to the military establishment, it had to back down after the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate raised objection.
Incidentally, the government has granted the requests of Pangode station and RC Grenadiers to get 10 pairs of elephant tusks and tusks and 10 mounts/horns for safe custody in 2024. The state government was in favor of handing over three pairs of tusks and tusks from its fort in Madras. Later, the 4th Battalion of the 8th Gorkha Rifles approached the detachment for two pairs of ivories to be displayed with its troops. However, the Union ministry reminded the state government and the ministry that the Wildlife Act and its rules “do not provide for the handing over of wildlife articles/trophies which are the property of the state government to anyone, even for safe custody”.
The ministry also pointed out that the trophies must be “disposed of in accordance with the Wildlife Disposal Rules 2023 by burning”. A huge amount of wildlife items, including ivory, is stored in the forest department’s vault at the state headquarters and various offices. According to officials, ivory conservation and management has proven to be a costly and cumbersome task for the department.
Meanwhile, forest officials are awaiting a formal communication from the police regarding the ₹2 crore theft at the station on the night of February 11-12, 2026 before taking action. It remains to be seen whether the ivory entered the military installation through legal means. An investigation will be initiated after receiving a formal communication from the relevant authorities, forest officials said.
One time amnesty
The department is finalizing a proposal to grant a one-time amnesty to those who could not surrender wildlife items in their possession before the deadline.
Wild animals and objects are considered government property under the law and those who own both animals and objects must obtain ownership certificates from the ministry, sources pointed out.
Published – 13 Feb 2026 20:53 IST