Palm civet rescued at Yeoor, 36-year-old villager arrested

Chander was booked under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, under which a convict can be jailed for seven years for hunting or illegally possessing articles or trophies of protected animals.

A common palm civet was rescued from a 36-year-old man’s house in Yeoor on Sunday evening. Forest department officials said the accused, Mahendra Chander, had captured the animal from Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and had intended to sell it.

The common palm civet was three to four months old. (HT image)

“The civet was healthy and we have sent it to the SGNP veterinarian. She will be released in the next few days after a check-up,” said Rajendra Pawar, range forest officer of Yeoor.

“We got a tip-off that a villager was hiding a civet cat at his residence. We investigated further and raided Chander’s home, and found the civet inside a plastic basket. The civet is three or four months old. Chander is an alcoholic and he intended to sell the animal so he could buy alcohol,” said Pawar.

Chander was booked under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, under which a convict can be jailed for seven years for hunting or illegally possessing articles or trophies of protected animals.

Palm civets, which inhabit forests in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, are protected under Schedule II of the Act and according to Yeoor forest department officials, between 200 and 300 of them live inside SGNP.

Pawar said civets are sold at ₹5,000 in the black market, with people preferring to keep it as a pet or even consume its meat.