Hyderabad: The Kawal Tiger Reserve busted pangolin Wildlife poaching and smuggling racket on Tuesday. After receiving information about the pangolin racket from sources, a team led by DFO Mancherial and Asifabad, F.D.O, Bellampally and Kaghaznagar, F.R.O.s of Asifabad and Kaghaznagar divisions have detected and busted the racket operating the wildlife offence.
The investigation started one month backtracking after which the accused arrested. The persons involved in pangolin wildlife crime have registered under the Wildlife Protection Act for hunting and trading pangolin.
The accused are arrested and produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Sirpurt. During the investigation Live Pangolin (Adult), a Swift Car, Motor Cycles, and mobiles phones seized. Hunting and trading of Pangolin is a severe offence and punishable with a minimum punishment of (7) years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of not less than Rs.5.00 Lakhs.
The Pangolin, i.e. (Manis Carssicaudata) is critically endangered as per appendix – 1 of CITES and is listed under Schedule – 1 in Wild Life Protection Act. The forest officials have informed that the poachers and the middlemen with superstitious belief and the wrong myth of use for medical treatment are attempting to hunt the Pangolin for the scales to make money by cheating innocent people.
The forest officials educated that the Pangolin does not carry any value and neither has any medicinal value nor commercial value. It said that it could transmit dangerous viruses to humans. The department has also urged the public not to fall prey to the said vicious circle of offering money for this animal.