A mobile court has fined two young men for killing bullfrogs caught in a beel in Tala, Satkhira. The report's headline puts the number of frogs at more than 100; its text says more than 50. The order was given on the afternoon of Sunday, 3 July, by Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Prashanta Kumar Biswas.

Zulfikar Raihan, president of the voluntary organisation Wildlife Mission, told Jago News that Ashutosh Das, son of Chhidam Das, and Sarajit Das, son of Dulal Das, both of Atarai village in the upazila, began catching the endangered frogs in the nearby Dhengar Beel. When local farmers tried to stop them, they threatened the farmers and abused them in foul language.

Acting on information, a Wildlife Mission team with police recovered more than 50 frogs whose two legs had each been cut off. The hunters were then detained and taken to UNO Prashanta Kumar Biswas, who held a mobile court and fined them Tk 1,000 each.

Tala police station officer-in-charge (OC) Abu Jihad Fakrul Alam Khan told Jago News that Ashutosh Das and Sarajit Das were fined under the wildlife crime control law.

UNO Prashanta Kumar Biswas said frogs are very necessary for the environment and that catching, hunting and killing them is a punishable offence. He urged everyone not to commit such crimes.

Abdullah As Sadiq, inspector at the Wildlife Crime Control Unit, told Jago News that this was the first time in the country that a wildlife crime involving an amphibian species had been detected and punished. He thanked the members of Wildlife Mission and the administration.

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