Bargarh, July 08: Two youths have been arrested by officials of the Bargarh Forest Department for painting an image of Lord Jagannath on the shell of a turtle—an act that constitutes a serious offense under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The arrests were made in the Bijepur area, and the accused have been produced before the court.
According to forest officials, the individuals not only painted the religious image on the turtle’s shell but also recorded a video of the act and uploaded it as a reel on Facebook.
Subhendu Mallik, General Secretary of Snake Helpline, lodged a formal complaint after the video surfaced. He identified the turtle as an Indian Flapshell Turtle, a Schedule I species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act. The video reportedly shows the turtle being released into a waterbody after the painting was done.
Mallik submitted his complaint to the Chief Wildlife Warden of Odisha, urging immediate and strict action against the perpetrators. He also called for the removal of the video from social media and the initiation of legal proceedings.
A copy of the complaint has also been forwarded to the Additional Director of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau for further investigation.
