Protected species of snake, scorpion recovered from poacher

In yet another successful crackdown on illegal trade in wildlife species in the national capital, an Indian black scorpion and a green vine snake, both protected species, were seized from a poacher here.

The scorpion and snake were seized from near Karol Bagh area late Tuesday. Both have been put under the care of wildlife conservation organisation Wildlife SOS and will be released into their natural habitat, once deemed fit enough.

"We received information about a man in possession of a snake and a scorpion that he was using as a means of entertaining curious passers-by in the market area. We immediately took him under our custody, and as we have the Wildlife SOS helpline number under our emergency contact list, we alerted them of the incident," said a police official.

The green vine snake also known as the common vine snake is a slender tree snake of vivid green colour and is mildly venomous. It is widely distributed in South Asia. It's mainly found in tropical forests and rarely spotted in urban areas, especially Delhi.

"Such incidents confirm that poaching and trade of wildlife species goes on right under our nose in the country, despite having a strong legal framework that regulates and restricts the flow of wildlife trade," said Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder of Wildlife SOS.

Both the Indian black scorpion and the common vine snake are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

--IANS

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