Mysuru: The Mysuru Forest Mobile Squad personnel have arrested two persons while they were attempting to sell a Pangolin (Scaly Anteater) and have recovered the Pangolin besides seizing the car used for the crime.

The arrested have been identified as Anil Kumar of Sathanur and Syed Hinayat Ulla of Bengaluru.

Acting on a tip off, the Forest Mobile Squad personnel, led by DCF Poovaiah, arrested the accused while they were trying to sell the Pangolin near Nalaguru in Malavalli taluk of Mandya district and recovered the live Pangolin besides seizing the car (KA-11 B-3244) used for the crime.

It is learnt that there is a gang which smuggles the Pangolins which are on the verge of extinction and sell them to prospective customers for Rs.3 to 4 lakh.

About Indian Pangolin

The Indian Pangolin (Scaly Anteater) is found in the Indian sub-continent. It is not common anywhere in its range. Pangolins are threatened by poaching (for their meat and scales) and heavy deforestation of their natural habitats, and are the most trafficked mammals in the world.

Most Pangolins are nocturnal animals that use their well-developed sense of smell to find insects as they are insectivorous. The long-tailed pangolin is also active by day, while other species of Pangolins spend most of the daytime sleeping, curled up into a ball. They are considered to be shy and secretive creatures. They have a very poor sense of vision, so they rely heavily on smell and hearing.

Major threats to Pangolins in India are hunting and poaching for local consumptive use (example: As a protein source and traditional medicine) and international trade, for its meat and scales in East and South East Asian countries, particularly China and Vietnam. There is now greater evidence of its inclusion in illicit international trade, in particular its scales, from both India and Pakistan, with Myanmar and China comprising the most likely, final destinations.

Pangolins are Schedule I species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 in India. Any person caught poaching or illegally trading these animals can be sentenced to up to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and also fined.