Kolkata: As part of its continuing efforts to curb all kinds of crimes along the India-Bangladesh border, the Border Security Force (BSF) said it has rescued a Serval, or African Wild Cat, being smuggled from India to Bangladesh in West Bengal's Nadia district on Wednesday, and handed it over to the state Forest Department for rehabilitation. 

"The rescue was possible due to the alert troopers of the 56 Battalion posted at the Bhattupara Border Outpost. On Wednesday evening, a jawan on patrol spotted 3-4 persons approaching the IBB Road (on Indian territory) with a heavy load. He immediately alerted his fellow jawan over the radio set. On being challenged by the two jawans, the miscreants dropped a wooden box and fled, taking advantage of the darkness and dense papaya plantation. On checking the box, the BSF personnel found the Serval inside. They then carried the box, along with the animal, to the Bhattupara BOP for necessary action," BSF DIG, South Bengal Frontier, and spokesperson N.K. Pandey said.

Praising the efforts of the BSF personnel, he said: "The prompt and decisive action of our vigilant jawans is yet another example of BSF’s unwavering commitment to safeguard the nation’s borders and prevent trafficking of all kinds. The rescue of the Serval is not only a victory in the fight against wildlife trafficking but also a testimony to the effectiveness of our border security protocols."

The BSF, over the last few months, has rescued several exotic species of animals, including an Alpaca and Golden Pheasants, that were being smuggled across the border.

The Serval, the sole member of the genus Leptailurus, is found in sub-Saharan countries outside rainforest regions. They are 54-62 cm in length and can weigh up to 18 kg. They are solitary carnivores and can leap up to 2 metres above the ground to hunt prey, both during the day and night. They have a range of up to 32 square km.

These animals are hunted for their skins and other body parts. Their hunting is prohibited in Algeria, Botswana, Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tunisia, and South Africa’s Cape Province. Hunting restrictions also exist in several other countries.

(IANS)