HINDUSTAN TIMES (NEXT)

Edition :  New Delhi

Date : February 22, 2006

India,s Intellectual property for 50p

THE HORSESHOE Crab – the world’s answer to many ailments is being offered for sale in Balasore, Orissa at less than Re.1.

“So far the government has done nothing to stop the mass annihilation of the Horseshoe Crab,” said Mike Pandey, acclaimed conservationalist.

Despite that fact that a strong plea to the ministry of forests and environment was made by Kapil Sibal to pass a law protecting the near-extinct creature, under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, nothing seems to have moved beyond a lot of tip sympathy. 

      Hunted down to a mere 2,000 in number in the Balasore area in the coast of Orissa, the 582 million year-old Horseshoe Crab is precariously close to extinction.

Fascinating not just in appearance but also vital in terms of medical research, the animal resembles a space shi with the tail of

sting–ray. Research has shown that a compound from its blood can be used a diagnostic reagent for detecting bacteria, which causes diseases such as typhoid and meningitis.  

 Scientist have isolated a compound from the fluid that surrounds the crab’s larva and found it to be causing formation of heart in chick embryo. The development is significant as scientists now intend to find a gene responsible for heart enlargement, a diseases that also affects humans.

“We need to act now” said Pandey who was offered the horseshoe crab for 50 paise by a fisherman in Orissa. “The way fishermen are peddling the creature is pathetic and a sure way to its extinction.” he added.