The busting of a major seahorse trade racket in the city on Saturday could represent just the tip of a thriving smuggling industry with international connections.
It took an alert junior engineer of the Oularget Municipality on election duty with the help of Kalapet police to seize nearly 659 seahorses being transported to Chennai through Puducherry in a mini van of a private parcel service in Puducherry.
The Department Forest and Wildlife Protection, Puducherry, is now investigating the case. They sealed the Vaigai Speed Parcel Services office in Puducherry that was carrying the consignment, on Sunday afternoon. When the forest officials visited the parcel services office, they did not find the owner. Several attempts to reach him over the phone failed. The three persons arrested in this case were produced before the magistrate on Sunday evening.
Of the 659 seahorses, 350 matured seahorses to the size 8 inches were also found. G. Kumar, Conservator of Forests, said that each of the seahorse would cost up to Rs. 10 lakh. The smaller size would cost Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 3 lakh each. “The ecological value of species is very high. They are protected under Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has also red listed this threatened species,” he said.
Earlier there were only sporadic incidents where one or two seahorses were being transported. “This is the first time that we have found such a huge number of seahorses. These seahorses are mainly found in Nagapattinam and Gulf of Mannar where there is a rich presence of coral reef and mangroves,” he said.
They are in huge demand for their medicinal values in China, Japan and Malaysia. They are also smuggled to the Arabian countries.
Trading seahorses is a non-bailable offence and the punishment will amount to three to seven years of imprisonment. An official at the Department of Forests and Wildlife Conservation said trade of endangered species goes unchecked as the department is short-staffed and ill-equipped.
Threatened species
The threatened wildlife species that are smuggled in the coastal region include Indian Star Tortoise, Common Sand Boa, Bengal Monitor or Common Indian Monitor. The Indian Star Tortoise is found along the Eastern coast in Nagapattinam and is protected under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The Common Sand Boa, which is protected under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Bengal Monitor or Common Indian Monitor protected under Schedule II of the Act, are hunted in Cuddalore and Villupuram.
