Asian Water Monitor Lizard killed in Cachar, forest department initiates investigation

On Friday, people of Salganga reported death of an Asian Water Monitor Lizard (Scientific name: Varanus salvator). The animal was allegedly tortured to death by the locals of the area.

As per reports, a group of people have killed it for bushmeat. Forest officials have already been informed and they are trying to bring the culprits into book. Once they are identified, it is expected that punitive measures will be taken by them as per the provisions contained in The Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972. In fact, the CCF has asked DFO Cachar division Tejas Mariswamy to seek report.

Prof Parthankar Choudhury, Dept of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Assam University, Silchar sharing his reaction to the incident explained that the Asian Water Monitor Lizard is widely distributed in the northeast India. “Six different subspecies of the animals are widely distributed in India, Bangladesh, Srilanka, Myanmar and Thailand and all other south Asian countries. As per International Union for Conservation of nature (IUCN), they are grouped under the ‘Least Concerned’ category. They are semiaquatic and opportunistic feeder and inhabit primarily lowland freshwater areas and can also live in a variety of natural habitats.”

He added that these reptiles are able to adapt and thrive in agricultural areas as well as other secondary habitats as well, but their most preferred habitat is marshy land. Almost 100% of the marshy areas of Barak valley got submerged during the devastating flood of 2022 in the Barak valley. During such days, many such creatures were spotted in helpless conditions. Since then, the animals were not reported.

Prof Choudhury said, “Taxonomically speaking, they belong to the suborder ‘Sauria’, and I have already assigned one of the scholars here at Assam University to pursue research and investigation on ‘Diversity, Distribution and habitat characterization of Saurian species in different habitats of Barak Valley, Assam’.”