4 slow lorises, star tortoise rescued; medical shop owner held

4 slow lorises, star tortoise rescued; medical shop owner held Hyderabad, Nov 17 (PTI): Four slow lorises, a protected species, an Indian star tortoise and one soft-shelled turtle have been rescued and a 55-year-old man has been arrested in this connection, police said here on Sunday. Acting on a tip-off, the man was apprehended on Saturday by a police team along with Forest department officials.

The man was running a medical shop and was also allegedly involved in trade of wild animals, additional deputy commissioner of police (Task Force) Chakravarthy Gummi said. According to the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972, trading and breeding of slow lorises, a nocturnal animal, is an offence. It is red-listed inthe IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources), police said.

The accused, along with the rescued species, was handed over to the Forest Department for further investigation..

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