Experts say the tusk is 35-40 years old, about the age most of the tuskers killed at the national park in a recent flurry were. The ashtadhatu Buddha weighing 4.20 kg was being offered by the smugglers for Rs 500,000. The worth of the ivory and leopard skin is yet to be ascertained. India is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. But wildlife in the country continues to be in danger because tusks and animal pelts fetch big money in the underground international market.
Ivory is in demand for making bracelets, bangles and powder for Chinese medicine.
Leopard and tiger skins are used to make hats, gloves, valets and such other articles, and, unfortunately, are emerging as hot favourites in certain fashion circles. They find their way to American, Chinese and European markets via Burma and Nepal. The officers interrogating Hanif have reportedly received a cue about the possible recovery of some 40kg of tiger bones near the Nepal border.