A serious case of violation of wildlife protection law due to superstition has come to light in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan. The incident of a man hunting a rare tortoise in the name of treatment for his wife’s TB disease has alerted the forest department.
According to the information, the accused had reached Banas river area of Sawai Madhopur from Jaipur. A doctor had told him that if his wife’s TB was to be cured, he would have to be fed turtle meat. Due to this superstition, the young man caught the turtle in Banas river using a fishing hook.
After catching the turtle, the accused was carrying it away in a sack. Meanwhile, the Forest Department got information about this. The department took immediate action and blocked the area and arrested the accused. During the search the turtle was recovered from the sack.
Investigation revealed that the turtle caught was not a common species, but an extremely rare Flapshell turtle, which comes under the protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act. A fishing hook was stuck in the turtle’s mouth, due to which it was seriously injured.
The forest department team immediately rescued the turtle and took it to Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, where experts operated on it for about 45 minutes. After treatment, the turtle’s condition is said to be improving and he is being monitored.
This incident is being reported from Banas river of Malarna Dungar area of Sawai Madhopur. The forest department has registered a case against the accused under the Wildlife Protection Act and further investigation is underway.
Officials said that hunting of wildlife due to superstition is not only a legal offense but also a serious threat to the ecosystem. The department has appealed to the people not to trust any kind of false remedies or superstition and cooperate in the protection of wildlife.
This case once again points out that due to lack of awareness and superstition, the lives of rare animals are in danger, which is extremely important to be stopped.