Lion cub among four exotic animals rescued, three held

Three white-headed langurs and a lion cub were rescued on Saturday from the northern suburbs of Kolkata by wildlife officials who arrested three smugglers, an official said.

Based on prior information, officers of the West Bengal Forest Directorate, Wildlife Crime Control Unit (WCCU) and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) in a joint operation chased and intercepted a vehicle on the Belgharia Expressway near Kendriya Vihar Housing Complex at 2 a.m. on Saturday. The endangered animals were found inside the vehicle.

"One (Panthera leo) cub along with two adults and one juvenile white-headed langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus) have been seized from the possession of Wasim Rahman, 29, Wajid Ali, 36 and Md. Gulam Gaus, 27. All three persons have been arrested," a statement said.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that the consignment was brought in from Bangladesh and seemed destined for Western India, it added.

"The animals have been rescued safely and they are fine," Somnath Chatterjee, Assistant Wildlife Warden said.

--IANS

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