Two live Chinese pangolins were rescued by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and Chariduwar Range of Sonitpur West Division from Potasali near the Balipara – Bhalukpung Road.

Based on information about possible wildlife smuggling attempt, a joint operation was conducted where the team came across two persons with two live pangolins in their possession.

The duo was detained soon after and a case was registered. They were identified as Karlin Mangfi and Gyan Bahadur Chetry, both hailing from Sonitpur district.

While one of the pangolins weighed 9.5 kg, the other was 2.9 kg.

The detainees later revealed that the pangolins were brought in from the Sepa in Arunachal Pradesh allegedly for consumption.

Notably, there are eight species of pangolin species and are protected under national and international laws.

Two of them are listed as ‘critically endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

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