Five held for torturing honey badger

Five people were arrested today for allegedly torturing a protected honey badger in Batiyari village in Gujarat's Kutch district, a Forest official said.

The arrests were made after a video of the purported incident went viral on social media.

Honey Badger is a schedule 1 protected animal under the Wildlife Protection Act.

In the video, the men were purportedly seen dragging the honey badger for some distance after tying its leg with a rope.

According to the official, the honey badger survived and fled to the forest.

The arrested men are identified as Lal Khan Jat, Abdulla Jat, Ibrahim Jat, Siddique Jat, and Sale Alana Jat, the official said, adding that they are looking for one Ahmed Musa Jat for his involvement in the incident.

According to the official, the men caught the honey badger, which appears to have strayed into the village from the nearby forest, and started torturing it while someone captured the incident on a mobile phone.

A complaint was filed by some animal activists.

The five men were booked under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, the official said, adding that further probe is on.