By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 2 Nov: The disappearance of elephant tusks from the store of the Laldhang Range under the Lansdowne Forest Division has raised serious questions about the functioning and monitoring mechanisms of the Uttarakhand Forest Department. Even several days after the matter came to light, the Forest Headquarters has reportedly failed to establish the exact number of tusks missing and their total weight. This is despite the department having lodged an FIR with the police and initiated an investigation into the disappearance of the wildlife remains, which had reportedly been kept in the store for several years.
The matter has brought the Laldhang Range into spotlight after it emerged that five elephant tusks were suspected to be missing from its store. What makes the incident particularly serious is that the department responsible for protecting wildlife and preventing the illegal trade in wildlife products apparently remained unaware of the disappearance of these valuable remains for a considerable period. The discrepancy came to light only after directions were issued at the higher level for verification of elephant tusks kept in the stores of various forest divisions across the state. The subsequent exercise reportedly revealed a mismatch between the official records and the actual number of tusks available in the Laldhang Range store.
Forest department stores also keep wildlife remains, including body parts and other material seized during investigations or recovered in different cases. Such material is often preserved because certain wildlife-related cases remain pending before courts and the exhibits may be required as evidence during judicial proceedings. It is, therefore, essential for the department to maintain accurate records and periodically verify the physical availability and condition of such material. The Laldhang incident, however, suggests that the prescribed monitoring and verification mechanisms may not have been followed effectively.
Significantly, even after the matter being reported, the Forest Headquarters is yet to ascertain the exact number of missing tusks and their weight. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Neena Grewal has herself acknowledged that the verification process is still underway. She stated that directions have been issued for a statewide verification of elephant tusks and that the exercise had brought the discrepancy at Laldhang to light. However, the exact number of missing tusks and their weight are yet to be established.
Following the disclosure, the Forest Department has initiated a search for the missing tusks and constituted an inquiry committee to investigate the matter. An FIR has also been registered at Yamkeshwar police station, while show-cause notices have reportedly been issued to the officials and employees concerned. The investigation is expected to establish how the tusks went missing, when they disappeared and whether the incident involved negligence, lapses in record-keeping or any deliberate wrongdoing.
In this regard PCCF (Wildlife) Neena Grewal is yet to visit the site to assess the situation personally. However, she has acknowledged the gravity of the incident.
The disappearance of elephant tusks is not merely a case of poor store management but also raises serious questions about the Forest Department’s internal monitoring and accountability mechanisms. If the department is unable to maintain an accurate account of wildlife remains kept in its own stores, questions inevitably arise about the effectiveness of its arrangements for protecting wildlife and preventing the illegal trade in animal parts in the forests. The incident is particularly embarrassing for an organisation entrusted with wildlife conservation, as the safe custody of seized or recovered wildlife remains should be among its basic responsibilities.
The department will now have to establish not only the exact number and weight of the missing tusks but also fix responsibility for the lapse. A thorough investigation, backed by verification of records, stock registers and previous inspections, is essential to determine how such a discrepancy remained undetected for so long. The incident has once again highlighted the need for stricter inventory management, regular physical verification and clear accountability at all levels of the Forest Department.
