THE HINDU (Chennai, India) 18 August 08 Monitor lizards rescued
Bangalore: Four monitor lizards that may have ended up as delicacies in roadside hotels were rescued by the State Police Forest Cell sleuths on Sunday after the sleuths caught two persons in Kaggalipura village near Thalaghattapura.
According to the police, the two persons were planning to sell the lizards.
The lizards are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.
The police identified the accused as Tonic alias Raja (51) and Prathap (26) from Belur in Hassan district.
The accused belong to a group of Hakki Pikki tribe that is known for hunting wildlife.
Sources said that monitor lizards are bought for extracting oil.
Many also end up in hotels to be served as delicacies.
The police said that they were investigating where these lizards were headed to.
A few months ago four persons were caught at the same place, the police said.
The Thalghattapura police have registered a case in connection with violation of provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act.
The lizards would be sent to the Bannerghatta Biological Park on Monday where veterinarians will ascertain their condition.
Monitor lizards rescued