Coral reefs and paint brushes made of mongoose fur were seized during the raids in eight places across Coimbatore.

The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and the vigilance wing of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department jointly conducted raids in eight places across Coimbatore on October 14.

According to sources, two coral reefs and six paint brushes allegedly made of mongoose fur have been seized from Vellalore and Gandhimanagar.

India is an abode of umpteen natural assets. One such significant asset of the marine ecosystem is the coral reef. Also known as the ‘rainforests of the sea’, coral reefs play a key role in regulating nutrient recycling, carbon and nitrogen fixation. They also aid in the protection of the coastlines and they are an important element of the marine food chain. Such a valuable marine entity is under threat due to various factors like smuggling.

As coral reefs hold great economic value, it is illegally uprooted and smuggled despite the existence of Wildlife Protection Acts. The deterioration of coral reefs would result in catastrophic climatic changes.

Mongoose is also an important role player in the food chain. The government of Chandigarh has made the Indian gray Mongoose as its state animal. The bitter reality is that, for making just three paint brushes, one mongoose is killed. If this continues, it may even lead to the extinction of the species.

The DFO Venkatesh said to The Covai Post, “A case has been registered against this brazen practice. There are so many processes involved before any action is taken. The seized brushes and reefs have been sent for testing to ascertain their authentication. The institutions deployed for the test are CCMB (Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology), Hyderabad and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. We cannot come to a blind conclusion that those bristles are made of mongoose fur. Once the test results arrive, necessary action will be taken accordingly”.