Mumbai: Man held for smuggling dead Indian monitor lizard

A wildlife lover who resides near Aksa beach has helped the police and Maharashtra forest department to nab a person who was illegally smuggling a dead Indian monitor lizard with the intention of consuming meat and extracting oil for medicinal purposesThe accused has been arrested and the forest department is looking into whether he was involved in similar crimesOn the morning of September 14 Nathuram Suryavanshi a nature enthusiast who had worked on a temporary basis with the Mangrove Foundation and is employed as a lifeguard at Aksa beach was walking near a forest patch close to the beach when he saw a person holding a monitor lizard On spotting the lifeguard the man quickly shoved the animal into a plastic bagSuryavanshi immediately informed the forest department and local police station about what he had witnessed As the police station was close by the authorities reached the spot and detained the person for questioning However it was found that the reptile had diedRange Forest Officer RFO Rakesh Bhoir of the forest departments Mumbai Range said The accused was arrested on September 15 under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972The accused has been identified as Gorakh Chakhoji Jadhav 35 a resident of Malhar chawl at MaladAlso Read Mumbai Beachgoers steer clear of beautiful bluebottle jellyfishThe investigating officer Narayan Namdev Mane the round forest officer of Andheri said Jadhav was produced before the court which sent him into the custody of the forest department During our investigation the accused confessed that he had captured the Indian monitor lizard for its meat and to extract oil as there is a belief that it brings relief to those who suffer from knee and joint problems We are investigating the matter and trying to find two other people whom we suspect to be involved in the caseExpert speakKedar Gore director of The Corbett Foundation said Wildlife poaching and trade in lesserknown species is a huge problem which should be addressed with utmost urgency While all attention is generally given to mega species such as tigers monitor lizards pangolins jackals lorises bears tortoises and owls many other species are being hunted at an alarming rateHe added that continuous conservation awareness across all sections of society could play an important role in minimising wildlife trafficking incidents that are mostly triggered due to superstitions and myths If the demand is stopped the supply will also stop All enforcement agencies have to work together to control this We need more stringent punishments in India for crimes against wildlife Gore said