India: Wildlife activists rescued two Yellow Monitor Lizards from the possession of two Madhya Pradesh-based youths and handed them over to the local Forest Range Office here on Sunday. The monitor lizards, a Scheduled I (Part-II) species, were kept in a pitiable condition to prevent the reptiles from making any movement which could have drawn attention. Their tails were tied to their bodies while claws had been broken and pierced to leave them immobile.

The veterinary surgeons of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) performed surgeries on the monitor lizards to free their limbs. The reptiles were being captured from the river embankment of Bhargavi when two volunteers of Snake Helpline, Arun Baral and Snehajit Mishra, caught hold of the smugglers who were later identified as Sanju Sutar and Nagdi Sutar. The duo was handed over to Balakati Forest Range Officer Prasanna Mohanty along with the two lizards. While skin of monitor lizards are used for making musical instruments in some places of Odisha, body parts are used for preparation of an aphrodisiac oil. “Although spiny-tailed lizards are hunted for their reported aphrodisiac value, their number has dwindled over the years. This is the reason quacks go for Yellow Monitor Lizards, given their availability and resemblance,” said a forest officer. The two youths will be produced before a local court on Monday. (Source : Indian Express)