Bhubaneswar: Man is still trapped in the Maya net of superstition. For subjugation, barhaha does not hesitate to wear his teeth by locking them. Taking advantage of this, some online marketing companies have adopted it as a business. The price of toothpaste in the online market is now very expensive. Social media has become a popular medium for selling toothpaste, including myths and legends. Some online marketplaces are advertising it for sale at Rs 3,000 to Rs 15,000 with silver attached. Shuvendu Mallick, general secretary of the Snake Helpline, wrote a letter to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau to curb the sale. “The teeth that are being made available in the market are said to be wild,” he said. The two large teeth, which protrude on both sides of the thorax of the Andhra Barha, are being sold for this purpose. Barraha is being hunted for teeth and meat. “It’s very shocking that the teeth are being sold for so much money,” he said. The sale price is also in dollars and pounds. “It simply came to our notice then that we were selling it online,” he said. Importantly, the Barhaha schedule in the Andaman forest is class 6-1, while the barhaha schedule in Odisha is class 6-3. Under Section 182 of the Wildlife Conservation Act, killing them and eating them is a crime under section 4. By doing so, many have been arrested and punished. Similarly, the sale of limbs of any wildlife is also an illegal and non-bailable offense under Section 37. So Mr. Mallick has complained to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau to ban this illegal business. The link to the illegal online sale was sent to Tilottama Burma, Additional Director of the Bureau, via e-mail, a screenshot of the URL4L. He also informed the Odisha Chief Wildlife Officer by handing out a copy. He called for strong action against the online business and the arrest of the perpetrators.
