Lucknow, Aug 30 (IANS) A rare albino palm civet that was seized with the arrest of two smugglers in Uttar Pradesh has been handed over to the Lucknow zoo, officials said here Saturday.The Special Task Force (STF) seized the wild cat, along with some rare birds, from two smugglers in Meerut a few days ago.

“The duo, Jivan Thakur and Ashish, had caught these animals from the forests near the Uttar Pradesh - Uttarakhand border and were planning to sell them,” an STF official said.

“The general palm civet is found easily but this albino variety is very rare,” explained zoo director Renu Singh.

“The cat is omnivorous and likes to live on trees, particularly the palm tree. It has been kept in the nocturnal house of the zoo and we do not think any other zoo in the country has this species,” she added.