Hyderabad: For the first time in Hyderabad, four slow lorises were rescued along with an Indian star tortoise, and a softshell turtle when they were put on sale by a pharmacist and his brother. Hyderabad Task Force sleuths apprehended pharmacist Saleh Bin Mahammed Badam, 55, while his brother Ali Bin Mahammed Badam, 38, is still at large.
According to a South Zone Task Force police official, the accused are residents of Barkas and run a pharmacy at Chandrayangutta. Business was slow and the siblings hit upon trading in wild animals.
Ali Bin Mahammed bought the animals and the tortoises and put them up for sale. Police received a tip-off, rushed to the place and rescued them.
Task Force Additional DCP (South) G. Chakravarthy said the police was on the look-out for Ali Bin Mahammed and the person who sold them the animals and reptiles.
Responding to a query, the police official said, “So far, the duo has not sold any wild animal.” He said this was the first time the slow lorises, a nocturnal animal, were seized in the city. They are generally found in the Northeast, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The animals and reptiles have been handed over to the forest department for protection and care.
The Wildlife Protection Act says trading and breeding of slow lorises is an offence. It is placed in the red list of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources).
