Man held with two rare chameleons

Kendrapara (Odisha), Sep 10 (PTI) A man has been arrestedwith two rare Indian chameleons near Bhitarkanika National Parkin Odisha’s Kendrapara district, a forest department officialsaid today. Niranjan Mandal, was yesterday arrested following a raidby police and forest officials at Batighar village underMahakalapada forest range while he was going to allegedly sellthe chameleons. "We recovered two chameleons from his bag. The exoticspecies of chameleon is protected under the International Tradein Endangered Species Act and Indian Wildlife Protection Act,1972," Forest Range Officer of Mahakalapada, Bijaya Paridasaid. Mandal is an active member of a racket thriving onsmuggling exotic and endangered lizards, Parida said. "We released the seized chameleons in the nearby foresttoday," he said. A Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) rejected hisbail application and remanded him to jail custody. Forest officials had also arrested four persons last yearin Mahakalapada areas on the charges of smuggling four rarechameleons. PTI COR SKN NNDIP