Indian tent turtle seized from Rewari pet shop
THE OWNER OF THE PET SHOP WAS ARRESTED AND WAS PRODUCED IN THE FARIDABAD SPECIAL ENVIRONMENT COURT; WAS SENT TO JUDICIAL CUSTODY
GURGAON: An Indian tent turtle was seized from a shop at Rewari on Saturday. The turtle was found in an aquarium shop by the wildlife department. It was on ‘sale’ at the shop.
The turtle is deemed a protected species under schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972.
The search was conducted on Saturday morning by the wildlife department at the behest of the principal chief conservator of wildlife, Gulsan Ahuja.
The team seized the turtle and a case was registered at Rewari police station under sections 39, 44, 49a, 49b, 50 and 51 (for the protection of Wild animals, birds and plants) of WPA.
Gaurav Kumar, the owner of the pet shop, was arrested and was produced in a special environment court, Faridabad. He was remanded in judicial custody till November 14.
“A minimum of three-seven years imprisonment could be awarded to the accused, as capturing rare and protected species is illegal,” Vinod Kumar, conservator of wildlife, south Haryana, said.
The department has been conducting similar search operations for a month. The searches followed a number of complaints regarding illegal sale of protected animals in Haryana. Apart from the raid, the department will also conduct awareness campaign regarding species that are not supposed to kept in captivity.
On November 6, two spottedblack terrapins were seized from a shop at Faridabad. The turtles were found in an aquarium shop by the wildlife department. The turtles were released into their natural habitat.
On August 13, an 11.5 feet long rare King Cobra was seized by the forest department from Mahendergarh district of Haryana. King Cobra is a protected species under scheduled II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Hunting and capturing of King Cobra is punishable offence. Those in violation could be sentenced to three years along with a fine of ₹5,000.
Acting on a tip-off, the forest department officials received information regarding a King Cobra being captured by two snake catchers in Unchat village in Mahendergarh district of Haryana. The snake charmers were even charging money from villagers for displaying the giant viper.