Deer hunting yet to stop in Sundarbans

Bagerhat Correspondent :

Deer hunting is not stopping in the Sundarbans. Organized poachers are constantly killing deer in the Sundarbans. In the last one month, some12 maunds of deer meat (venison) have been recovered by the Coastgard. 9 deer hunters were arrested along with deer traps and trawlers. Kachikhali in the Sundarbans is now a safe route for deer smuggling. Questions were araised among the public about the role of forest guards in preventing deer smuggling.
According to information received from various forest-related sources, huntring of deer from Sundarbans and the number poachers are on the increase in the recent time in the forest. An organized gang deer poachers are constantly hunting deer from the Sundarbans.
Kachikhali, Chandeshwar, Dimer Char in the Sharankhola Forest Rangeange of the Sundarbans and the Panir Ghat and Sonatala areas of Sharankhola upazila are being used as safe routes for deer smuggling. Eyewitnesses who are not willing to mention their names told, an organized gang of deer poachers from the Chardoani, Kathaltali and Gyanpara areas of Patharghata Upazila in Barguna district is hunting deer in the Kachikhali, Chandeswar, Dimerchar areas in the Eastern Sundarbans at night after using traps made withnylon threads. On the other hand, after hunting the deer the poachers are smuggling the hunted deer and venison from the Sundarbans to various places through Sonatala, Panirghat etc. areas of Sharankhola Upazila. On April 15, a contingent of the coastguards of the South Zone deployed Patharghata arrested a poacher with 35 kgs of venison from the Kathaltali area of Patharghata. The arrested poacher is one Rezaul Islam (25), a resident of Hossainpur village of Patharghata. Apart from this incident, members of the Bangladesh Coastguards of the Western Zone deployed Mongla Port (in Bagerhat district) arrested some 08 deer poachers in separate operations conducted in the last month. During this time, 423 kgs venison were recovered. A good number of deer-catching traps and several trawlers were seized. Among them, 31 kgs venison and a head of deer were recovered from Joymani under Mongla Upazila on April 18. On April 11 some 24 kgs venison, a deer skin and a boat were recovered from Joymani Balur Math area. On the other hand, on April 08 a poacher named Ariful Sardar (24) was arrested from Nolian Thakurbari area by the coastguards along with some110 kgs venison and 02 boats from Nalian Thakurbari area on April 8. As many as 205 kgs venison, 2 heads and 2 skins of deer were recovered from Joymani in Mongla and Sundarban Bazar area of Shyamnagar recently. A hunter named Babu Alam (27) was arrested in this connection. 28 kg of meat was recovered from Nalian Balur Math area on March 14. A hunter named Joynal Gazi (25) was arrested in this connection. In addition, 5 hunters were arrested from Maralaksmi canal in Sundarbans on March 12 along with 80-deer traps and 25 kgs venision. The arrested hunters are Imran Gazi, A. Rahim, Roknuzzaman, Abu Musa and Md. Mamun. They all hail from Koyra area.
Dr. Ruhul Amin, General Secretary of the Citizens’ Refuge for Good Governance, expressed concern over hjunting and smuggling deer from the Sundarbans and told, although the Coastguards have recovered deer (venison) one after another, no action is being taken by the Forest Department.
Kazi Muhammad Nurul Karim, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Eastern Division of Sundarbans (in Bagerhat deistrict), told, patrolling activities of the forest guards are going on regularly to prevent deer poaching in the Sundarbans. The activities are, somewhat, hampered due to the shortage of manpower. However, the DFO added, deer poachers are being arrested and meat is being seized by the forest guards from time to time.