Endangered flying squirrel rescued

Our Correspondent

Itagar, March 17: A Hodgson’s giant flying squirrel (petaurista magnificus), one of the rare species of eastern Himalaya, was rescued from Dirang Basti of West Kameng District and released in the temperate forest of Thembang Bapu Community Conservation Area (CCA) on Monday. Tenzin Chogyal (Sanjay), one of the committee members of Thembang Bapu CCA magement committee rescued it from two strangers of Dirang while they were playing with the species recently.

While hunting of wildlife is still rampant across most of the North Eastern states, this is one of the rare instances that community has taken baton to secure wildlife and its habitat in their villages.

“I hunted numerous wildlife species in my life, but releasing a wild animal back to its home gave me immense pleasure” Sanjay instantly responded.

The species ranges from Myanmar to Nepal and it is protected as schedule II species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.

Giant flying squirrels are unique among mammals in having ability to glide from tree to tree in sub-tropical and temperate forest. Some of these species quite attractively coloured, like Hodgson’s giant flying squirrel which has a rich rufous and black body colour, according to forest officials.