30 October 2006

More than 300 beetles and butterflies were seized by the Kerala Forest Department in the Nilambur area of Malappuram district on 29 October 2006. The Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) provided information and assistance.

Dr. N.C. Induchudan, the DFO of Nilambur, headed an operation that culminated in the arrest of four traders from Gudalloor, Tamil Nadu, and the seizure of 55 live beetles, 258 dead beetles and 28 butterflies, including Schedule I species like the Malabar Banded Swallowtail. All the other insects were endemic to the area.

According to WPSI field information, the insects are collected by local people and sold to traders who, in turn, sell them to foreign tourists and collectors. The four arrested men are believed to have supplied to Japanese collectors in the past.