Local people have rescued a spotted deer that came out of the Sundarbans into a village. It was handed over to the forest department and released back into the Sundarbans.

The deer was rescued at noon on Wednesday 6 August from Talbaria village in Atulia union of Shyamnagar upazila, Satkhira.

Dinobondhu, one of the rescuers, said: "Some people were moving about in a boat towards the forest in front of our house. Their behaviour seemed suspicious, so we kept watch. After a while a deer came running, crossed the road and fell into Santosh kaka's pond. A few of us locals managed to pull it out of the water, and then we informed the forest department. The people who were looking for the deer fled when a crowd gathered."

Nirmal Kumar Mondal, officer in charge (OC) of the Munshiganj patrol camp in the Sundarbans Satkhira range, said: "With the help of local people we rescued the deer and gave it an immediate physical check. It had no major injury. As it was healthy, it was released in a safe area of the Sundarbans."

He added that officials are looking into whether poachers chased the deer into the village, and that the matter is under serious investigation.

Local people allege that poachers are moving about more than before in areas bordering the Sundarbans. Several gangs in particular are going deep into the forest by boat along the waterways to hunt and smuggle wildlife. Wild animals are sometimes seen straying into villages, which they call a dangerous sign.

Local environmental activist Md Fazlu said that when a harmless animal like a deer comes into people's homesteads, it means it is deeply frightened and that there is no safety for it inside the forest. If poachers' activity is not curbed, such incidents will keep increasing, he said.

After the incident, local people called on the forest department for stricter surveillance, and demanded more effort to identify and bring to justice those who move suspiciously along the rivers.

The Sundarbans spotted deer is one of the attractions of Bangladesh's biodiversity. The incident once again showed the active role of local people in protecting the forest resources and wildlife of the Sundarbans, the report says.

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