This could well be listed among the most expensive ‘awareness exercise’ undertaken by the National Zoological Park (NZP), also called the Delhi zoo. Aimed at driving home the point that trading in wildlife products is an offence, the Delhi zoo will incinerate animal products -- elephant tusks, rhino horn, tiger nails and skull, fox and jackal skull, hippopotamus teeth and chinkara horns -- worth over Rs.20 lakh.
This will be done in the renovated incinerator at the Delhi zoo that would be inaugurated by the Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Prakash Javadekar, on Wednesday morning.
Giving details of the exercise, zoo veterinary doctor Paneerselvam said: “We have two elephant tusks weighing 4.5 kg worth Rs.2.50 lakh each. These were obtained by trimming the tusk of our elephant here. We also have three rhino horns – two of which are worth around Rs.5 lakh. The third one is smaller and is cheaper.”
The zoo also has a pair of chinkara horns which are difficult to obtain as these animals don’t shed them.
The pair that the zoo has could fetch more than Rs.15,000. The other expensive animal products include a tiger skull.
“These products are usually sent to the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, which are used for research and study. This time, however, the Institute informed us that they have an excess of these products. So we decided to use the products to create awareness and make a bold statement,” added Dr. Paneerselvam.
Dr. Paneerselvam maintained that the incineration is symbolic.
“We want to educate the public about the fact that trading in wildlife products is an offence.” The Delhi zoo incinerator has been renovated at a cost of Rs.10-12 lakh and has the capacity to burn 150 kg at a time.
