A crocodile adorned with satellite transmitters on its dorsal region was discovered within a fish enclosure nestled in Bagerhat’s Chitalmari upazila, only to be emancipated into the vast expanse of the Sundarbans on Sunday.
Following its rescue from Bagerhat, the reptile found refuge under the care of the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Division office in Khulna.
The crocodile’s unexpected presence stirred a flurry of activity as locals congregated around the fish enclosure owned by Hasan Sheikh of Dakshin Shailadah village on Friday night. Swift action led to the timely rescue of the crocodile, ensuring its safety until forest department officials arrived, bolstered by a police deployment to safeguard the scene.
This incident follows the Forest Department’s previous endeavor on March 13, where two crocodiles equipped with satellite transmitters were set free into the Bhadra River of the Sundarbans, with the primary aim of unraveling the enigmatic life cycle of these formidable creatures.
Subsequently, one of the released reptiles surfaced in the Tushkhali River of Pirojpur’s Mathbaria upazila, a week later, marking the initiation of a year-long experiment orchestrated by the Forest Department. This ambitious project seeks to glean insights into crocodile behavior, encompassing their movements, dietary preferences, territorial boundaries, and habitats, elucidated Muhammad Nurul Karim, the divisional forest officer of Sundarbans East Zone.
In a pioneering feat, Bangladesh has emerged as the inaugural country in Asia to unleash two crocodiles into the river adorned with satellite transmitters, with funding facilitated by the German-based GIZ and technical expertise rendered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
