BHUBANESWAR: Sleuths of the Mahanadi Wildlife Division on Monday arrested a resident of Khurda and recovered about five kg of pangolin scales from his possession. The man, identified as Samsuddin Khan of Dakhinaparikheta village, was travelling in an OSRTC bus when he was intercepted by the officials of the division. Khan had booked a ticket from Muniguda to Sunakhala.
Acting on a tip-off, the sleuths searched Khan which led to the recovery of the pangolin scales from his bag. The man had procured pangolin scales from Koraput, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Boudh and Nayagarh districts and was carrying those to Puri. He had apparently paid Rs 20,000 for the scales. According to DFO Anshu Pragyan Das, Khan along with an associate from Puri had planned to make ornaments by processing the scales in warm water for 8 to 10 days. The ornaments were supposed to be sold during Rath Yatra. The ornaments fetch a price in the range of Rs 800 to Rs 2000 per piece. Bracelets, necklace and “kawach” for children are made from the pangolin scales and sold during Rath Yatra.
Pangolin scale has also demand for medicinal purposes to treat cancer, stomach ailments, and blood related problems. Indian Pangolin is the world’s most trafficked mammal for its medicinal values, scales and meat. Most of the poaching and smuggling are believed to be targeted for international markets in China and Southeast Asia.
Hunting and trade in both the pangolin species - Indian and Chinese - found in the country is banned under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, while international trade is prohibited under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
According to a wildlife trade monitoring network, between 2014 and 2017, majority of pangolin seizures were recorded from Odisha, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.Tribals collect these scales by hunting the animals. All those have been named as abators. A mobile phone was seized from Khan.