A live pangolin worth over $200,000 USD was rescued from poachers in Madhya Pradesh, central India.

Police in Jabalpur received a tip-off and seized the animal from three culprits.

Footage from July 16 shows the animal roaming around a room under the watch of its rescuers.

According to the officials, the pangolin was worth $201,044 (£146,501).

The animal was later handed over to the local forest officials.

Covid-19 is not enough to scare smugglers off pangolins in central India's Madhya Pradesh on July 16. The incident took place in Jabalpur district.

Visuals feature the rescued pangolin crawling on the ground while glancing at its saviors in the room. In the meantime, the onlookers behold the occurrence and set it free while it strolls in the vicinity.

Acting on a tip-off, the crime branch officials under the Bargi Police Station of Jabalpur district, along with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and the forest officials, ambushed the three culprits identified as Rajjan Dehria, Jagdish Dehria, and Ramswaroop Dehria, near Manegaon intersection and seized an 8 kg (17. 6 lbs) pangolin worth Rs. 1.5 crore (USD 2,01,044) in the International Market from their possession. Further investigation revealed that they were in search of a buyer to sell the creature at a high price.

On the instructions of Superintendent of Police in Jabalpur, Siddharth Bahuguna, the endangered species was handed over to the Forest Department for further action. Moreover, the team of officials included Gopal Khandelwal, Shivesh Singh Baghel, Ritesh Pandey, Ramakant Mishra, Mukesh Patkar, Rajendra Biloha, Ajay Lodhi, Virendra Singh, Santosh, Lakhan Nishad, and some more.