HYDERABAD: A youngster who caught a monitor lizard and roasted it alive in Medak district was apprehended on Saturday after he was identified in a video that was posted on Instagram. Medak forest officials are looking into the antecedents of two customers who were seen talking to the 20-year-old youth in the video.
Under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, a monitor lizard is listed under Schedule 1 and a protected species. “Culprits trading and selling them face a punishment from three years up to seven years,” a forest official told STOI.
As soon as the video of the youth roasting the monitor lizard on fire came to their notice, senior forest officials alerted the Medak officials. From the video, the location was idenitified as Edupayala riverbed area. Medak divisional forest officer M Padmaja Rani said the culprit was traced to a village in Papannapet sector of the forest region.
Senior IFS officer Mohan Chandra Pargaien told STOI that forest officials in Medak district were alerted late on Friday night. “By 1.30 pm on Saturday, the man was arrested,” he said. When questioned about the people for whom he had caught the monitor lizard, the accused reportedly told officials that he could not recognise them since they wore masks. “But, we will pursue the case and prosecute all involved,” Pargaien said.
In some parts of the country, oil extracted from the monitor lizard is believed to work as an aphrodisiac and in some places, it is consumed as meat. Forest officials said there was no scientific basis for that and appealed to the public to help nab anyone threatening the existence of wildlife.
Under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, a monitor lizard is listed under Schedule 1 and a protected species. “Culprits trading and selling them face a punishment from three years up to seven years,” a forest official told STOI.
As soon as the video of the youth roasting the monitor lizard on fire came to their notice, senior forest officials alerted the Medak officials. From the video, the location was idenitified as Edupayala riverbed area. Medak divisional forest officer M Padmaja Rani said the culprit was traced to a village in Papannapet sector of the forest region.
Senior IFS officer Mohan Chandra Pargaien told STOI that forest officials in Medak district were alerted late on Friday night. “By 1.30 pm on Saturday, the man was arrested,” he said. When questioned about the people for whom he had caught the monitor lizard, the accused reportedly told officials that he could not recognise them since they wore masks. “But, we will pursue the case and prosecute all involved,” Pargaien said.
In some parts of the country, oil extracted from the monitor lizard is believed to work as an aphrodisiac and in some places, it is consumed as meat. Forest officials said there was no scientific basis for that and appealed to the public to help nab anyone threatening the existence of wildlife.
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