Monitor lizard skins seized, resident of Mapusa booked

Panaji: Acting on a tip, officials from the Panaji range of the North Goa forest division conducted a raid and seized 47 skins of the Indian monitor lizard (Varanus bengalensis) — a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 — and 14 ghumats allegedly made using the skin.

Gabriel Sebastian Rodrigues, a resident of Mapusa, was booked under provisions of the act.The monitor lizard is listed under Schedule I of the act, which provides the highest level of protection to endangered wildlife species in India. Offences involving Schedule I species are treated as serious wildlife crimes, with penalties including imprisonment of up to seven years and fines.The ghumat, a traditional Goan percussion instrument, was traditionally made using animal skin, though the use of protected wildlife parts is illegal. Officials confirmed that the seized items are suspected to be prepared using monitor lizard skin, a practice prohibited under law.Further investigation is under way to determine the source of the skins and whether others are involved in the illegal trade.