11 held in Gujarat for trying to sell Indian pangolin

“The accused were trying to sell the pangolin at a big price and earn easy money when our staff managed to catch two of them with the animal,” Akshay Joshi, deputy conservator of forests (DCF) of Junagadh territorial forest division said Saturday, adding, “Subsequently, we arrested nine other men from Porbandar, Jamnagar, Dwarka, Junagadh and Ahmedabad districts who were part of the group that attempted to sell the pangolin.”

The forest department has registered a case of pangolin hunting at the Kutiyana range forest office in Porbandar under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. The Indian pangolin is included in Schedule-I of the Act and enjoys the highest level of legal protection in the country. Those who hunt the mammal may be imprisoned for up to seven years.

Also called scaly anteaters, pangolins are primarily nocturnal animals whose main diet includes termites, ants and larvae. They are traded illegally for their scales, meat and hide. The DCF said the pangolin they rescued died a day later while it was under observation. “The animal had injury marks on the outside, suggesting it was tortured. Post-mortem revealed it died due to starvation and trauma,” Joshi said.

The accused were produced before a local court in Porbandar and sent to judicial custody. “The kingpin is on the run and efforts are on to arrest him and one more accused,” the forest officer added.