Lok Sabha Question No. 3490 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: Ivory Smuggling
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Aparupa  Poddar, Krishna Pal Singh Yadav, Sujay Radhakrishna Vikhepatil, Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Heena Vijaykumar Gavit

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3490

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2022

## Ivory Smuggling

3490.   PROF. RITA BAHUGUNA JOSHI:

SHRIMATI APARUPA PODDAR:

DR. KRISHNA PAL SINGH YADAV:

DR. SUJAY RADHAKRISHNA VIKHE PATIL:

DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

DR. HEENA GAVIT:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) the details of the recent assessments that have been carried out during the last three years to ascertain ivory smuggling in the country;
- (b) the number of poaching incidents of male elephants that have been reported during the said period, State-wise;
- (c) the  gender  ratio  of  Asian  elephant  population  in  the  country  and  whether  it  has  been disturbed by the selective poaching of male elephants for ivory; and
- (d) the  details  of  the  plans,  if  any,  to  stop  these  stockpile  sales  of  ivory  to  reduce  ivory smuggling and elephant poaching?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a)&(b)  As  per  the  information  received  from  Wildlife  Crime  Control  Bureau,  the  details  of number  of  cases  of  elephant  ivory/tusk  seizures  which  were  detected  in  the  country from 2019 to 2021 are given below:

|   Sl. No. |   Year |   No. of cases |
|-----------|--------|----------------|
|         1 |   2019 |             27 |
|         2 |   2020 |             21 |
|         3 |   2021 |             42 |

The details on poaching of male elephants are not compiled in the Ministry, however, State/year wise data of elephant death due to poaching, as per the information received from States, is enclosed as Annexure.

- (c)&(d)  The  data  regarding  gender  ratio  of  Asian  elephant  is  not  collated  in  Project  Elephant Division of the Ministry.  However, State Governments being the primary responders take necessary steps for prevention of crimes related to elephant poaching and illegal ivory smuggling.

Further, the following measures has been taken by Ministry to reduce ivory smuggling and elephant poaching:-

- (i) The Ministry provides financial and technical assistance to States/UTs under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes 'Project Elephant' for protection and conservation of elephants and their habitats in the country including patrolling duties, reward to informers on information on sale/smuggling of ivory etc.
- (ii) A advisory on Human-Wildlife Conflict including dealing the wildlife crime has been issued by the Ministry on 6 th February, 2021.
- (iii) Capacity  building  of  frontline  staff  for  investigation,  forensics  and  successful prosecution of wildlife cases are being organised at regular interval.
- (iv) In  addition,  the  Ministry  in  coordination  with  Wildlife  Crime  Control  Bureau (WCCB)  has  taken  following  measures  to  stop  ivory  smuggling  and  elephant poaching:
-  Conducting  joint  operations  with  State  enforcement  agencies  to  apprehend criminals including poachers/ivory traders.
-  Conducting capacity building for Forests and Police Officials on investigation of wildlife cases under the provision of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
-  Conducting  sensitisation  programme  for  the  officials  of  Board  Guarding Forces,  Customs,  Central  Industrial  Security  Force  (CISF),  Judicial  officers, RPF, GRP and other stakeholders.
-  Issuing  alerts  and  advisories  on  poaching  and illegal trade of wildlife to the concerned state and Central agencies for preventive actions.
-  The WCCB has developed and online Wildlife Crime Database Management System  and  shared  user  credentials  with  970  Divisional  Forest  Offices,  50 Field Directors of Tiger Reserves and 37 Chief Wildlife Wardens in the Forest Department and 34 Directors General of Police to upload data pertaining to wildlife crime detected on day to day basis.
-  WCCB  has  also  conducted  special  pan  India    enforcement  operation  to coordinate action among State/Central enforcement agencies.  Ivory seizures have been effected in the 'Operation WILDNET-I, II, III and IV'.
-  Moreover, WCCB  participated in global operations such as operation Thunderbird envisaged by INTERPOL's Wildlife Working Group, Operation THUNDERSTORM,  Operation  THUNDERBALL  and  Operation  Thunder 2021, which resulted in the arrest of may criminal and seizers

ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) & (b) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3490 RAISED BY PROF. RITA BAHUGUNA JOSHI: SHRIMATI APARUPA PODDAR:  DR. KRISHNA PAL SINGH YADAV:  DR. SUJAY RADHAKRISHNA VIKHE PATIL:  DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE: DR. HEENA GAVIT REGARDING 'IVORY SMUGGLING' DUE FOR REPLY ON 08.08.2022.

Elephant Deaths by Poaching from 2018-19 to 2020-2021

| S.No   | State 2018-19       |   2019-20 | 2020-21   |
|--------|---------------------|-----------|-----------|
| 1      | Andhra Pradesh 0    |         0 | 0         |
| 2      | Arunachal Pradesh 0 |         0 | 0         |
| 3      | Assam 0             |         0 | 0         |
| 4      | Chhattisgarh 0      |         0 | 0         |
| 5      | Jharkhand 1         |         1 | 0         |
| 6      | Karnataka 0         |         0 | 0         |
| 7      | Kerala 0            |         1 | 1         |
| 8      | Maharashtra 0       |         0 | NR        |
| 9      | Meghalaya 1         |         4 | 7         |
| 10     | Nagaland 0          |         0 | 2         |
| 11     | Odisha 2            |         3 | 2         |
| 12     | Tamil Nadu 1        |         0 | 2         |
| 13     | Tripura NR          |         0 | 0         |
| 14     | Uttar Pradesh 0     |         0 | 0         |
| 15     | Uttarakhand 1       |         0 | NR        |
| 16     | West Bengal 0       |         0 | 0         |
| Total  | 6                   |         9 | 14        |

*NR- Information not received from State.