Forest cell staff of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) rescued an iguana used by an event management company to promote a TV channel here on Friday.
Officials of Pure Media, handling the events for Reliance Digital TV, were carrying the reptile to make a presentation on the service provider’s new channel.
Iguana is classified as endangered species, and carrying it around attracts penalty under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
The incident came to light when the representatives from the Mumbai-based Pure Media went to make a presentation to their client in Ulsoor, who turned out to be an animal lover.
The animal’s nails had been clipped and it had been injured during transportation. Taking objection to the way it was being handled, he alerted the BBMP’s Forest Cell, who took possession of the reptile.
The event management executives were let off after being ticked off by the Ulsoor police.
Preliminary enquiries revealed that the iguana was brought from Mumbai by air and was carried around the city despite it being an endangered species, attracting penalty under Cruelty to Animal Act, BBMP Chief Warden Sharath Babu said.
Surprise clearance
The reptile apparently belonged to a Mumbai businessman who kept it as a pet. “Though it is a scheduled animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, it is surprising how they got the clearance from the airport,” a Forest Cell official said.
The iguana has been taken to the cell’s wildlife rescue centre and released in Bannerghatta forest area after treatment. Pure Media in-charge Unnikrishnan refused to comment on the fiasco.
