Mahakalapara: Rampant smuggling of rare marine green snails from Gahirmatha marine sanctuary under this block in Kendrapara district has sparked fears about their extinction, sources said Monday. Fishermen collect these snails in large numbers from Lunchghola, Madali and Chatka areas and from the basins of Mahanadi delta in the sanctuary and smuggle them to traders to make a quick buck. The fluids secreted by these snails and its meat are used in preparation of medicines due to which they are in high demand abroad.
Traders buy these rare snails from fishermen with prices ranging between Rs 200 to Rs 300 per kilogram. A fisherman requesting anonymity said that the snails are caught when they come near the coast or banks to consume red alluvial soil. It has been alleged that some traders regularly transport sack full of snails from Kajalpatia area under Batighar panchayat to Paradip. Then the snails are sent to Kolkata and Andhra Pradesh for export to foreign countries.
Reports said that the snails are caught mostly during the rainy season when they come to the beach and move in hordes. However, neither the district administration nor the Forest department is taking any steps for protection and conservation of these marine snails despite it being mentioned in the 1972 schedule of Wildlife Protection and Conservation Act. Environmentalist Subhash Chandra Swain said that if urgent steps are not taken for the protection and conservation of these snails then the day is not far off when the species will become extinct from this area.