Bhubaneswar, March 24: The Wildlife Wing of the Forest Department has apprehended a YouTuber from Bhadrak for allegedly possessing two snakes and sharing rescue videos of the reptiles on the internet, thereby violating the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The individual in question is Mirza Md Arif, residing in the Kajimahala area of Purnunabazar in Bhadrak.

During a raid conducted by the Bhadrak wildlife division, Arif was found in possession of two monocled cobras, a species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act. Additionally, he had been regularly posting rescue videos of snakes and other wildlife species on various social media platforms, garnering millions of views on YouTube. Arif boasts a substantial online following, with over 2.82 million subscribers on YouTube and 1.44 lakh followers on Facebook, as confirmed by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, Susanta Nanda, in a post on X.

In accordance with a recent state government order dated March 15, individuals sharing selfies, photographs, or any such content featuring scheduled wildlife species, their body parts, or trophies are deemed to be in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act. Such offenses are punishable by imprisonment for up to seven years.

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