Jayapur (Koraput): A pangolin weighing over five kilograms was rescued near a Durga Puja mandap in Borigumma town in Odisha’s Koraput district late on Monday night, forest officials said on Tuesday.
Members of the Manikeswari Durga Puja Committee spotted two pangolins roaming near the mandap. While one of the animals disappeared, the committee members managed to rescue the other and alerted the Forest Department’s Borigumma Range.
Forest officials subsequently arrived at the spot and took charge of the rescued pangolin. The animal was safely kept at the Borigumma Range office, officials said.
Borigumma Forest Ranger Damburdhar Gomango said the pangolin would be released into a safe habitat after undergoing a health examination.
The sighting of two pangolins near the Durga Puja mandap in the heart of Borigumma town has raised questions about how the animals reached the area.
While the animals may have strayed from a nearby forest, there is also speculation that they could have been brought to the area in connection with alleged illegal wildlife trade. However, the circumstances surrounding their presence in the town remain unclear.
