Forest officials in Odisha’s Kendrapara district rescued a wild boar from the house of a man, who had caged and kept it as a pet, an official said here on Saturday.
The accused, Bhajan Raptan (50), a native of Pitapata village under the Mahakalapada Forest Range, was later arrested on the charge of unlawfully confining the wild animal in his house. The accused, booked under sections 9, 39 and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, was later remanded in judicial custody after a local court dismissed his bail application, Forest Range Officer of the Mahakalapada Forest Range Kartikeswar Khandei said.
The offence of keeping the wild animal as pet is punishable with imprisonment for a term ranging between three to seven years or more and fine ranging between Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000. The offence is also cognisable and non-bailable, the forest officer informed.
The wild boar was later released in the mangrove forest areas, which are the ideal habitat of these animals, he added.
It may be noted here that the Odisha Forest Department has issued a warning to people not to click photographs or selfies with wild animals and post it on social media platforms under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The rescuing of the ‘pet’ wild boar comes close on the heels of the arrest of a couple in Jajpur district under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 on the alleged charge of posing themselves with pet wild animals on social media platforms.