The Forest Department and volunteers from a non-governmental organisation on Monday rescued an Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) that was found in a human habitation near Mettupalayam. The Forest Department received a call from a resident of Kurumbanur village near Mettupalayam on Monday night, stating that a scaly animal was found near their house. Forest Department staff and volunteers from an NGO rushed to the spot and found that the animal spotted in the village was an Indian pangolin, one of the most trafficked animals in the world. They rescued it and it was released in a protected forest area of the Mettupalayam forest range on Monday night itself. Mettupalayam forest range officer Joseph Stalin said the staff swiftly acted and rescued the pangolin, considering its importance. He added that sightings of pangolins were rare in the region. Indian pangolin is listed as an ‘endangered’ species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is protected under Schedule I, Part I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
