[ Bengia Ajum ]
ITANAGAR, 22 Aug: Two rescued geckos and a Chinese pangolin, which had been kept at Itanagar Biological Park, were released on Tuesday in Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR) under Pakke Kessang district. The animals were released under the watchful eyes of Dr. Sorang Tadap, veterinary officer of the park and Dr. Panjit Basumatary, head of the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation & Conservation (CBRC) at PTR. The geckos were rescued by Banderdewa police from smugglers on July 14.
Two people were arrested, and the geckos were handed over to the custody of Itanagar Biological Park. The officials of the Biological Park sought permission from the special judge (NDPS), Yupia, to release the geckos into the wild. Accordingly, on the 19 August, the court granted permission to rehabilitate them at PTR. Dr. Sorang Tadap informed this daily that the animals were released following the laid-down protocol in the presence of members of the Wildlife Trust of India inside the PTR.
He further shared that the park authorities had requested the court to grant permission to release the geckos because they were facing challenges in keeping them at the zoo. Initially, the authorities had no record of the geckos, such as how long they had been kept in captivity by the accused.
“When the police handed us the geckos, no history of the reptiles was provided, such as how long they had been kept in captivity by the accused, where the lizards were caught, and what feed was provided,” said Dr. Tadap.
He also noted that the zoo had no record of keeping geckos, and lizards are not mentioned in the zoo’s animal collection plan as per the Zoo Master Plan.
Feeding the geckos was a significant challenge for the officials at Itanagar Biological Park. “We had to catch live insects, like grasshoppers, early in the morning to feed them. During the night, we installed an LED bulb above their cage so they could eat any insects, like moths,” said Dr. Tadap. The pangolin was handed over to the park authority by Tadar Tallum, junior engineer of PHE & WS Tali division in Kra Daadi district.
Chinese pangolin is listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
