The Forest Department on Saturday arrested Rajan, 46, of Nellanad, near Venjaramoodu, on the charge of keeping a red sand boa, a variety of snake protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.
The accused kept the boa in a house at Karate and was trying to sell it to prospective buyers, forest enforcers said. He had procured it from a person in Kanyakumari.
Range Forest Officer, Palode, S.V. Vinod said a team from the Palode Range Office and the Flying Squad of the department raided the house on a tip-off.
The red sand boa, usually found in the thorny forests of Tamil Nadu, preyed on earthworms and pests. The boa weighed around 2.4 kg. The snake would be handed over to the zoo, Mr. Vinod said.
The accused had been remanded in judicial custody till January 7. The species was listed under schedule 4 of the Act. Those violating the Act were liable to get a jail term of up to seven years, he said. A week ago, another person was arrested with a sand boa. Of late, there had been an increase in the illegal trade of the snake, mostly brought from Tamil Nadu, he said. “People buy the snake for huge amounts under the impression that it has medicinal values. It has not been scientifically proven but people still fall prey to this. Some people even buy the snake as they believe that keeping the snake could bring good luck,” he said.
