On Thursday, Four persons were arrested in Alibag, Raigad district, Maharashtra, for a protected wildlife trafficking attempt. Two live pangolins, an adult female, and a cub were recovered from the accused. The case has been registered under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) by the Maharashtra forest department.
As per the law, smuggling or hunting pangolins – which are classified as endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species – attracts the highest penalties. Pangolins are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Act, putting them in the same bracket as tigers, lions, rhinos, and several other species. The arrest was made in the Navghar region of the Sudhagad Pali forest reserve in Alibag. The four accused have been booked under Sections 9 (prohibition of hunting), 39 (3) (possession of wild animals), 44 (1) (a) (dealing in captive animals), 48 (a) (illegal transportation of wildlife), 49 (purchase of wild animals) and sections 50, 51, and 51 (a), which dealing with arrests and penalties, of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972). They have been remanded to police custody.
Officials said they were able to nab the accused after one of them posed as a customer interested in purchasing pangolins for their scales, which are in high demand in the international wildlife market, they acted on a tip-off received from an informant. Range forest officer Sameer Shinde said, “We had been on the trail of the accused of three days,” also credited Alibag’s deputy conservator of forests Ashish Thakre, and assistant conservator of forests Sanjay Kadam, for their role in the operation.
Post Your Comments