Ivory and tush were found missing from the carcasses of eight of the 14 wild elephants found dead in Malayattoor and Vazhachal forest divisions of Kerala last year.

A Special Investigation Team, which probed the “monsoon-associated elephant deaths in Malayattoor and Vazhachal Forest Divisions” between August 6 and August 3, 2025, has reported the loss of ivory and tush from the carcasses.

The report prepared by a team led by D.K. Vinod Kumar, Chief Conservator of Forests, High Range Circle, Kottayam, found that tush were absent in five female carcasses and ivory in three males. It was also found that ivory was present only in two males and tush in two females.

Ivory was recovered from the two carcasses found in Kandanpara and Manikandanchal on August 6 and 7, 2025. In three other cases, the sex of the animals could not be determined as the carcasses were found in an advanced stage of decomposition, the report noted.

However, the SIT ruled out any possibility of any “deliberate or accidental human-caused mortality”, namely poaching, poisoning, weapon injuries, or anthropogenic interference in the elephant deaths. It ruled out poaching as a cause of death as “no evidence of forcible extraction” of ivory could be found in the carcasses based on the teeth socket examinations.

The case of missing ivory/tush attains significance in the wake of the massive poaching of wild tuskers reported in the Malayattoor forest area a decade ago. Poachers had then gunned down 16 tuskers in the area.

The panel, which concluded that the “traumatic injury caused by falls from height while navigating steep river banks and crossing points during high water flow killed most of the animals,” recommended the removal and safe custody of tusks, disposal of the carcass through deep burial or natural scavenging and the preservation of skulls for future verification.

Meanwhile, P. Pugazhendi, Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW), Kerala, has sought an explanation from the Chief Conservator of Forests, Central Circle, on the “non-recovery of tusks/tush from the male elephant” that was found dead on August 30, 2025, at Kuttampuzha Range of the Malayattoor Forest Division.

The CWW has sought the “specific reasons for the non-recovery of the tusks/tush from the carcass” and whether a “wildlife offence case has been registered in connection with the incident.”

Details of the “case number, date of registration, and the present status of investigation” and the details of the action taken by the field officers concerned immediately after detection of the carcass have also been sought.

Responding to the developments, P. Karthik, Divisional Forest Officer, Malayattoor Forest Division, said that the recovery of ivory was not possible in all cases, given the inaccessible terrain where the carcasses were found.

There exists the possibility of the tusks being washed downstream in the heavy current or getting trapped in the rock crevices. The earlier searches conducted in the area didn’t yield any results. Further searches would be possible only when the water level recedes, he added.

Published - July 26, 2026 02:50 pm IST