A rare porcupine has been caught in Panchagarh. On the morning of Wednesday 31 December, local people captured it in the Chaklahat Kittiniyapara area of the upazila sadar and handed it over to Forest Department staff.

According to the Forest Department and local people, the porcupine was spotted in a field in the area that morning. When people chased it to catch it, it went into a nearby pond, and from there it was trapped in a bamboo cage. The porcupine is about one and a half feet long and weighs roughly 8 kg. After it was handed to Forest Department staff, the animal was reportedly sent to Tetulia Eco Park.

Haripada Debnath, officer-in-charge of the Panchagarh Social Forestry Department, said: "On getting the news we quickly went to the spot and rescued the porcupine. The animal used to be seen in the forests and scrub of this area, but it is now nearly extinct. The porcupine will be kept at Tetulia Eco Park, where there is already another porcupine."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.