On Saturday, forest rangers in the Kendrapara district of Odisha apprehended a man for allegedly illegally containing a wild boar inside his residence after rescuing the animal from his residence, according to an official statement.
The official stated that the accused, 50-year-old Bhajan Raptan, a resident of Pitapata village within the Mahakalapada Forest Range, had kept it as a pet in a cage.
Raptan was arrested under several provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and, according to Kartikeswar Khandei, the Forest Range Officer of Mahakalapada Forest Range, he was later remanded to judicial custody after a local court denied his bail application.
The offence of keeping the wild animal as a pet is punishable with imprisonment for a term ranging between three and seven years or more and a fine ranging between ₹ 10,000 and ₹ 25,000, he said.
The offence is also cognizable and non-bailable, the forest official said.
The wild boar was later released in the mangrove forest area, the ideal habitat for such animals, he added.
The Odisha Forest Department has issued a warning and asked people not to click photographs or selfies with wild animals and post them on social media platforms under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
A week ago, forest officials arrested a couple from the Jajpur district, under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, for clicking pictures with wild animals and posting those on social media platforms.
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