Karnataka’s 90-day amnesty drive saw surrender of 705 wildlife trophies

Hubballi: A total of 705 wildlife articles and trophies were voluntarily surrendered to the state forest department by 192 individuals during the 90-day amnesty window announced by the government in 2024.

According to data accessed by DH, Bengaluru circle recorded the highest number of surrendered wildlife artifacts, receiving 385 trophies, followed by Canara circle with 117 items.

The surrendered articles included elephant tusks, tiger claws, antlers, gaur horns and pelts, mostly belonging to spotted deer and sambar deer.

Principal chief conservator of forests Kumar Pushkar informed DH that the recovered trophies had been placed at the respective circles for further investigation.

The government issued a notification under Wildlife (Protection and Surrender of Undeclared Wildlife or Animal Article, Trophy and Uncured Trophy) (Karnataka) Rules, 2024 on January 10, 2024, allowing people possessing wildlife trophies without valid ownership certificates to voluntarily hand them over to the department without facing prosecution.

The rules were introduced following widespread public criticism on social media over several celebrities allegedly possessing tiger-claw pendants and other wildlife-derived articles without proper legal documentation.

Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre had then said that the move was aimed at encouraging compliance with wildlife protection laws and helping authorities identify illegally possessed wildlife articles.

Though the amnesty period was for 90 days, the government had to withdraw its notification following a stay order from the Karnataka High Court after two individuals approached the court, saying the notification impacted their cultural traditions.

Several traditional houses and temples in Kodagu region have wildlife trophies as part of their culture and heritage. Many of these are ancestral properties.

Kumar Pushkar explained that a few individuals had approached the HC seeking exemption from surrendering wildlife articles that lacked valid certificates.

“They wanted the forest department to give them permission and certificates to hold wildlife trophies passed down from ancestors. Unfortunately, there is no provision in law to allow holding of such trophies. Such possession is considered illegal,” he said, adding that since the matter was still sub judice, the department was maintaining status quo.

Legal experts said the state government was not the authority to announce the amnesty period, as the central government, since the introduction of the Wildlife Protection Act in 1972, had given multiple
opportunities, most recently in 2003, to surrender such articles.

Praveen Bhargav, trustee of Wildlife First and former member, National Board for Wildlife, says the newly inserted Section 42A in the Wildlife Act in 2022, only provides for surrender of animal articles/trophies which have been legally held under a certificate of ownership.

“It is clear that the intention of Parliament was not to provide an opportunity to facilitate surrender by those without a certificate of ownership”.

Under the Wildlife Protection Act, possession of wildlife trophies and animal articles without valid certification is a punishable offence, and violators can face imprisonment of up to seven years along with fines exceeding Rs 25,000.

Minister Khandre told DH that the matter was sub judice.

“We received communication from the central government stating that the subject comes under the central list and states cannot grant amnesty. We were told that the central government will soon come up with a solution, so we are not pursuing the matter,” he said.