India's forest officials have arrested four men accused of sexually assaulting and killing the reptilian species known as the 'Bengal monitor lizard' or the 'Indian monitor lizard' in one of the country's most protect forest reserves.
The slain reptile is purportedly the only monitor lizard in the park.
A Strange Case
Vishal Mali, a division forest officer, stated they have never seen such a crime before which was carried out by individuals in their 20s and 30s, with no "religious" or "black magic agenda" involved, as cited by Vice World News.
Although the act is said to be unnatural and poses health risks due to the risk of zoonotic, animal-to-human disease transmission, local authorities claim the assailants only assaulted the reptile "out of fun".
The incident occurred at the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in India's western state of Maharashtra on March 29. The perpetrators were caught between April 1 and April 5 after trespassing through the Chandoli National Park, containing camera traps that were meant to track tigers.
When the forest officials arrested the intruders, they found photos and videos on their phones which recorded the said barbaric act.
The four suspects named Akshay Kamtekar, Mangesh Kamtekar, Ramesh Ghag, and Sandeep Pawar were charged under India's animal rights and welfare law. However, a local court reportedly granted them bail after being detained.
Animal Protection Law
India's 'Wildlife Protection Act of 1972' or 'Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972' aims at protecting species of wild animals, including amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles.
These also include the animals' eggs.
The said Indian law generally prohibits any acts, including assault, killing, and capturing of animals, as per the Government of India's Ministry of Law and Justice - Legislative Department.
In the case of national parks or other animal enclosures, whether they are sanctuaries or not, animals must be protected at all costs.
However, the said law excludes vermins and insects.
The Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, which covers approximately 1,166 square kilometers, and the Chandoli National Park which spreads over 300 square kilometers, covering the vast wildlife reserve have been a challenge for the forest guards.
As a result, additional security forces are planning to be deployed to protect the premises more efficiently.
Animal Abuse: Related Cases
A total of 500,000 cases of animal-related crime were reported in India between 2010 and 2020.
Amongst these cases, 82 cases fell under sexual abuse, according to a report by wildlife advocacy groups, as cited by the local news outlet India Today.
More recent cases involved the sexual assault and killing of a pregnant goat in southern India and a related case of a 60-year-old man attacking a female stray dog in 2021, as per Vice World News.
Monitor Lizard
The large and long-necked monitor lizards are prevalent in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania.
However, excessive hunting, killing, and poaching over the years have led to a relative population decline of the reptilian species.
This has led the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to reportedly classify the monitor lizard species as 'least concern' on its Red List of threatened species.
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