A raid in the Rupnagar area of Mirpur in Dhaka has recovered 1,104 exotic animals of various species held illegally for keeping and sale, among them venomous tarantulas and a Mexican black king snake.

According to the Bangladesh Forest Department, the animals recovered also include corn snakes, dumpy frogs, leopard geckos and sidenecked turtles. Because such animals are venomous or dangerous and could affect biodiversity, the law prohibits bringing them into Bangladesh.

The animals were being held in aquariums built on the roof of a residential building, for sale. Wildlife specialists and researchers say they are being brought in from abroad in disregard of the law, affecting the country's biodiversity and raising the risk of disease.

Keeping them as pets is what drives demand, says Adnan Azad, convener of the Bangladesh Animal Welfare Association. "Many people in Bangladesh now keep venomous tarantulas, spiders or Mexican black king snakes as a hobby — and astonishingly, African frogs are now being reared too," he said.

He also explained the route. Illegal animals are largely brought in under cover of the species that may legally be imported with permission. While gold and other goods attract extra scrutiny at the airport, he believes surveillance of pet imports is inadequate.

The Forest Department takes a different view, saying there is surveillance of the illegal sale and keeping of animals both at the airport and in domestic markets. Abdullah-As-Sadique, wildlife inspector of the Bangladesh Wildlife Crime Control Unit, said the illegal import, export, purchase, sale, keeping and transport of wildlife is a punishable offence under existing law.

Operations also target native species. He said that a few days earlier a raid in Mirpur had recovered 42 native wild animals of eight species. What most concerns specialists is what happens to native species and the farming ecosystem if exotic animals escape into the wild.

Source: BBC Bangla