Tamil Nadu incinerates 233 ivory pieces as per Madras high court orders

CHENNAI: At least 233 pieces of ivory weighing 206 kg were incinerated by the Tamil Nadu forest department on Saturday, in compliance of a Madras high court order passed in Dec 2025. The move was to prevent the theft of seized ivories kept in the custody of the forest department.

The court order came in the wake of a series of TOI reports published in 2024 and 2025 on ivory theft from the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur. The court ordered the govt to destroy the ivory by recording the process through photos and videos, and retaining samples of each and every piece in case a DNA test was needed later.


Sources in the department said the incineration process went on for seven hours after it began at 9.30am. A private incinerator in Gummidipoondi, which burns hazardous waste for the Pollution Control Board, was chosen for the procedure. It was carried out in the presence of Chennai chief wildlife warden Manish Meena, a court-appointed amicus curiae, forest rangers, and representatives from the local body.

Principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra told TOI that such incinerations would be a regular process from now on, if the dept got all clearances. “As and when we are able to get more pieces of ivory duly certified as encumbrance-free and free from all legal proceedings, incineration will be carried out,” he said.

In its order, the court also urged the department to tabulate all details of ivory stocks and submit them before it on Jan 23. Following Saturday’s incineration, a wildlife official said details on the quantity burnt and the entire proceedings would be submitted before the court. “After that, we will officially release the details to the public,” the official said.