Wildlife Crime Bust in Pune: Forest Department Seizes Porcupine Quills, Monitor Lizard Parts

Pune, 8th November 2024: In a major operation led by the Pune Forest Division in collaboration with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), authorities seized prohibited wildlife articles from the Mandai area of Pune based on credible intelligence.

Two individuals were apprehended, and items including porcupine quills and genital organs of a monitor lizard were confiscated, in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. A wildlife offence has been registered, and further investigation is being conducted by ACF Mangesh Tate, RFO Suresh Varak, RO Vaibhav Babar, Vishal Yadav, Pramod Raskar, and Forest Guard Anil Rathod.

The operation was supervised by CCF Pune N. R. Praveen and DCF Pune Mahadev Mohite. The Forest Department has urged public cooperation in reporting any suspicious activities related to wildlife trade, emphasizing that such support is crucial for the protection of endangered species and the conservation of biodiversity.