Mandya: A pangolin was rescued at Halagoor in Mandya by sleuths of the Mysuru Forest Mobile Squad who arrested two people in this connection. They suspect that pangolin trade might be widespread in the state as a couple of cases pertaining to pangolin scale seizure were reported in Chikkamagaluru district a few months ago.
The rescued pangolin in Mandya was later released into a forest. Deputy Conservator of Forests Poovaiah told Deccan Chronicle on Sunday that the pangolin was brought from Challakere in Chitradurga and was transported to Halagoor in Mandya district where the sleuths rescued it. The arrested were identified as Anil Kumar a resident of Satanoor close to Halagoor and Syed Inaytulla, a resident of Bannerghatta in Bengaluru. The arrests were made when Anil Kumar and Syed were trying to sell the pangolin near Halagoor. Poovaiah suspects that those arrested have links in Chamarajanagar district. Three other people connected with the sale of the pangolin managed to give the sleuths the slip.
Poovaiah says that pangolin might have been caught for medicinal purposes rather than for consumption. The arrested were produced before the JMFC, Malavalli in Mandya and have been remanded to judicial custody.
In July this year, Chikkamagaluru forest officials had caught six-poachers having links with smugglers in wild animal parts and had seized pangolin scales amounting to 11 kgs and other animal parts. In another case of pangolin poaching in Kudremukh National Park, seven poachers were arrested by forest officials.
