Monitor lizard blood drinking video, two held

CHENNAI: Two days after a video clipping of a monitor lizard being slit and its blood poured into glasses went viral in social media, foresters attached to wildlife rescue headquarters at Velachery arrested two people for killing the scheduled animal. Two persons identified as Vijayakumar, (55) and K. Manikandan, (20) of Tambaram have been arrested under wildlife protection Act and further investigations are on to arrest their associates, said city wildlife headquarters T. Murgesan.   

The top officials on Tuesday sounded an alert to the field rangers in Chennai and Kancheepuram to nab the tribes poaching monitor lizard locally called as “Udumbu” in Tamil. Special teams have been formed to nab the offenders in northern districts, a senior wildlife official said. Culling of monitor lizard is a serious offence under wildlife protection Act and the reptile endemic to Western and Eastern ghats in South India is a protected schedule two animal.