Protected species of ske, scorpion recovered from poacher

New Delhi, May 18: In yet another successful crackdown on illegal trade in wildlife species in the tiol capital, an Indian black scorpion and a green vine ske, both protected species, were seized from a poacher here. The scorpion and ske were seized from near Karol Bagh area late Tuesday. Both have been put under the care of wildlife conservation organisation Wildlife SOS and will be released into their tural habitat, once deemed fit enough. “We received information about a man in possession of a ske and a scorpion that he was using as a means of entertaining curious passers-by in the market area. We immediately took him under our custody, and as we have the Wildlife SOS helpline number under our emergency contact list, we alerted them of the incident,” said a police official.

The green vine ske also known as the common vine ske is a slender tree ske of vivid green colour and is mildly venomous. It is widely distributed in South Asia. It’s mainly found in tropical forests and rarely spotted in urban areas, especially Delhi. “Such incidents confirm that poaching and trade of wildlife species goes on right under our nose in the country, despite having a strong legal framework that regulates and restricts the flow of wildlife trade,” said Kartick Satyarayan, Co-founder of Wildlife SOS. (IANS)