Action will be taken against social media account holders if they don’t delete their posts of videos of prohibited wild animals, informed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF ) (Wildlife), Susanta Nanda on Saturday.
His warning came after a person identified as Mirza Md Arif of Bhadrak district was arrested for illegally possessing live snakes. He was also uploading videos of the capture and release of wild animals.
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When contacted over his mobile phone, PCCF Nanda said such videos of wild animals are influencing others. Even though Arif had been asked to delete such posts, he didn’t do that. This apart, he had kept two live snakes, the PCCF said.
Besides, social media platforms are being served notices asking them to block the accounts violating the norms. If they don’t obey, action would also be taken against them, Nanda added.
The Forest Department’s JTF cell is investigating accounts violating the guidelines.