WHAT HAPPENED
After reality show participant Varthur Santosh was arrested on Sunday for allegedly wearing a tiger claw pendant on the show, older pictures and video interviews of celebs sporting similar items surfaced on social media. Forest department officials, subsequently, went on to conduct raids at the residences of actors like Darshan, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, Jaggesh, producer Rockline Venkatesh and Vinay Guruji for similar possessions.
Varthur Santosh seen wearing the tiger claw pendant on the reality show
‘DARSHAN, NIKHIL CLEARED’
“The tiger claws recovered from actors Darshan and Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s houses are fake. The actors had a replica of tiger claws made of artificial material. However, the tiger claws belonging to Jaggesh were found to have degenerated as they were more than 40 years old. We have sent it to the Wildlife Forensic lab at Dehradun’s Wildlife Institute of India for DNA analysis,” says N Ravindra Kumar, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Bengaluru Urban.
WHAT DOES THE WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT OF 1972 STATE?
The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 provides a legal framework for theprotection of various species of wild animals and plants, management of their habitats, regulation, and control of trade in wild animals, plants, and products made from them.
OTHER COMMON JEWELLERY ITEMS THAT GO AGAINST THE WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT
l Elephant tail hair finger rings
l Elephant tail hair bracelets
l Tiger nail dollars/necklace
l Tiger whisker jewellery
l Musk pods
l Leopard claw lockets
l Ivory products