Born Free, Chained by the Capitalist: Exploitation of Wildlife in Tania James's The Tusk that Did the Damage

Abstract

This paper aims to highlight the oppression of wild animals in Southern India in the wake of late capitalist patriarchal developments. Late capitalism with its exploitative tendencies marginalizes the Third World environment including wild animals. This study focuses on the intricate processes that are involved in transporting illegally procured animal parts from poachers to affluent buyers, involving individuals from diverse backgrounds in the commission and cover-up of the crime. Drawing upon Shiva's "maldevelopment" theory, Karen Emmerman's critique of animal sanctuaries, Catherine Doyle's analysis of captive elephants, and Fleischman's critique of forest policy implementation, this paper delves into the plight of the poached animals and critically analyses the novel The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James, from an ecofeminist perspective. By drawing insights from ecofeminist theory, this research investigates the exacerbation of animal trafficking in the contemporary Indian society as depicted in the novel The Tusk That did the Damage.

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest related to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article, and that the data presented have not been fabricated or falsified.

Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant or financial support from public, commercial, or not-for profit funding agencies.

Participant Consent:  The authors confirm that Informed consent was obtained from all participants, and confidentiality was duly maintained.

Data Fabrication/Falsification Statement: The authors declare that no data have been fabricated, falsified, or manipulated in this study.

Copyright: Copyright (c) 2026 Kalsoom Khalid & Sofia Hussain