Walrus tusk seized in Maharashtra

The Maharashtra forest and police departments have seized ivory tusks of Walrus found in the Arctic region.

This is for the first time that such a seizure has been made in India.

The seizure was made from the Hatkhamba village in Ratnagiri district in the coastal Konkan belt of the state.

The three accused have been identified as Mohammed Numan Yasin Naik (41), a resident of Goa, and Hemant Suresh Kandar (38) and Rajan Dayal Pange (58), both residents of Sindhudurg district.

The team has also seized a car in which the tusk was being transported to an unknown location for a sale, and all the accused have been charged under the section 49(c), of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Following a tip-off, the Maharashtra Forest Department teams of Ratnagiri and Satara, along with the Crime Investigation Department (CID) laid a trap and nabbed 3 accused red-handed with the booty.

“We have recovered the tusk, approximately 15-16 inches long, of a walrus,” Honorary Wildlife Warden Rohan Bhate, who is also Member, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), said.

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is a large flippered marine animal found in the North Pole region of Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic areas of the Northern hemisphere.

Ratnagiri Range Forest Officer Priyanka Lagad said that this is the first ever such seizure of a walrus tusk since these sea animals are found only in the icy shores of Northern Hemisphere, around 10,000 km from here.

How it was brought here is a matter of investigation.

The details of the cache and weight has not been disclosed as detailed investigations were still in progress.

The secret operation was carried out under the guidance of Chief Conservator of Forests, Kolhapur; Dr Clement Ben, Assistant Conservator of Forests Sachin Nilakh, Divisional Forest Officer Deepak Khade, Satara Forest Range Officer Sachin Dombale, and other team members.