unscrupulous poaching and smuggling have now virtually rendered extinct rare and beautiful butterflies endemic to the forests of Kerala. Officials of traffic -India, an association working for the prevention of wildlife transaction, recently took note of heavy poaching in the state.
The motive behind this largescale 'hunting' is selling these butterflies in the highly remunerative foreign market. Largescale poaching has especially been reported from the Vazhikadavu forest range in Nilambur. Most of the lepidoptera are found in the forests of Munnar, Wynad and Nilambur which are among Asia's prime forest regions that house about 150 different types of butterflies. The most coveted varieties are Common Rose, Peacock and Southern Bird Wing.
The export business in butterflies are concentrated mainly in Pondicherry from where they are sent mainly to Singapore.In Pondicherry, one butterfly fetches from Rs 700 to Rs 1,000.
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