Raipur. Raipur. This is probably the first time in the history of Chhattisgarh that a wild animal seized in a court case has been released back to its habitat. Giving information in this matter, Nitin Singhvi of Raipur said that till now the wild animals seized in any court case were kept in the zoo after being seized. Due to the case being pending in the court, no effort was made to release them back to the forest. The wild animals had to live in the zoo for life. Singhvi requested the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) that according to the guidelines of the Central Zoo Authority, such seized wild animals can and should be released after taking permission from the court. After this, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) wrote a letter to all the officers posted in the field staff of the Forest Department and issued orders in July to release the seized wild animals in the forest area after taking permission from the court.
On 30 June 2024, Raipur Forest Division confiscated four Schedule-1 monitor lizards protected by law. According to the information received, these were confiscated during police checking. They were shifted to Nandanvan Jungle Safari Naya Raipur. On 23 July, Director Jungle Safari, after examining the health of these wild animals, wrote a letter to the Forest Division Officer Raipur to take necessary action to release all the four monitor lizards. After taking permission from the court, the Forest Division Officer Raipur has released all the four monitor lizards in a proper habitat. Congratulating the Forest Department, Singhvi expressed hope that the Forest Department will soon release all the healthy and releaseable wild animals seized earlier in the forest area and will also take action in the interest of wild animals in future.
