Hyderabad: Four individuals were arrested, and a pangolin was seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Kadiri in Andhra Pradesh, following specific intelligence.
Upon receiving information about a gang of traffickers involved in the illegal wildlife trade seeking prospective buyers for a live pangolin, officers from the DRI Hyderabad Zonal Unit travelled to Kadiri.
After several rounds of negotiations, the traffickers brought the live pangolin in a jute sack to a pre-arranged location on the Kadiri-Pulivendula Road. Officers conducting surveillance arrived at the site, rescued the Indian pangolin, and apprehended the traffickers, DRI officials reported.
Pangolins are poached primarily for international markets in China and Southeast Asia, where their scales are used in traditional medicine. Pangolin meat is also considered a delicacy and is consumed for its alleged medicinal properties.
The Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, affording it the highest degree of protection. Its international trade is prohibited under Appendix I of CITES, officials said.
Accordingly, the live pangolin was seized, and the four individuals were detained under the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended.
| Posted by News Desk | 
