Day after rescue, injured Pangolin treated at SGNP, released in wild

THANE: The rare Pangolin, which was rescued while it was being sold by three people at Balkum on Thursday, was released in the wild late on Friday night.
The Pangolin was kept in a small backpack by the trio. As the mammal was kept in the bag, it suffered minor injuries and was sent for treatment to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

“When the Pangolin was brought in, we saw that she had suffered wounds on the skin between her scales and so we applied some antiseptic. She was approximately three years old and was healthy as she weighed around 8kg. She was fit to be released into the wild by Friday night,” said Dr Shailesh Pethe, veterinarian at SGNP. The police said that the men — Devji Sawant, Sanjay Bhosale and Ramdas Patil — who were caught while selling the mammal, had brought the mammal from a tribal group near Mahad.

“They were aware that the mammal’s market price was around Rs 40 lakh. We are trying to ascertain who gave the men the mammal and whether they have indulged in any such similar trade before,” said Nitin Thakre, senior inspector from crime branch unit-1.

When the Pangolin was brought in, she had suffered wounds on the skin between her scales and so we applied antiseptic. She was approximately three years old and was healthy as she weighed around 8kg. She was fit to be released into the wild by Friday night