New Delhi: On April 26, the Delhi Police seized 26.4 kg of ivory products and jewellery worth Rs 2.6 million from two men, indicating the high demand for ivory despite the fact that the trade in Asian ivory was banned in 1986 and that in African ivory in 1991. Acting on a tip, police used a decoy customer who struck a deal for the delivery of 20 kg of ivory goods at Rs 30,000 per kg, and arrested a man named Ashkar for violating the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972.

"The ivory goods that have been seized consist of old ivory carvings," says WTI Trustee Ashok Kumar. "However, some of the goods, like bangles, look fairly new, which just goes to show that there is still clandestine illegal carving that continues in Delhi today."

Ashkar, from whom 18.95 kg of ivory goods was seized, revealed the whereabouts of his accomplice Mohammed Yunus, who had concealed a cache of ivory products weighing 7.45 kg at his home. According to the police, the arrested men dealt in ivory and had hoarded a good deal of it in the hope of earning a massive profit. Police officers however believe that the two were merely middlemen, and a larger, organised gang could be involved.

Mr Kumar says "nearly 10-12 tuskers have died since December onwards in the Rajaji-Corbett belt. Currently, figures show that there are less that 1,200 breeding tuskers in the country." Could the seized goods have come from the tuskers that were recently killed by poachers in the Corbett National Park?

Mr Kumar says the ivory from those tuskers is too new to have already reached the carvers, but there is no doubt that the tusks are concealed somewhere and will be smuggled out soon, either as tusks or as carvings. The largest consumers of Asian ivory, Mr Kumar says, are the Japanese, who use them make signature seals called ‘hanko’, rather than make rubber seals. Disturbingly, Mr Kumar says, "China is another country that is becoming a major user of Asian ivory."