Haor wildlife under threat

Wildlife in Moulvibazar haor areas is in danger as acute food crisis and shortage of living places are forcing different endangered species towards localities.

The situation is getting worse with receding of floodwater this year.

Wildlife Department on Friday released a fishing cat in Lawacherra National Park Lake in Moulvibazar's Kamalganj upazila, a day after it was rescued from Kawadighi haor area in Rajnagar upazila.

Villagers caught the fishing cat from the abandoned house of one Bahar Ali of Sikka village on Thursday afternoon, said Tabibur Rahman, assistant conservator of wildlife under the forest department.

Bahar and his family members took shelter on a nearby embankment during the flood last month, Tabibur said, adding, “Finding it abandoned the cat might have taken refuge there.”

“Due to the flood many endangered species have lost their habitats and living places,” he said, adding, they are also coming under attacks by local people.

Monzur Kader Chowdhury, former president of PRADHIKAR (an initiative for wildlife rights) of Sylhet Agriculture University, said fishing cats generally live in wetlands, along rivers, streams and swamps in South and Southeast Asia.

He said it is listed on the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable as it is facing threat of extinction due to destruction of wetlands in the last one decade.

Divisional Forest Officer of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Department Mihir Kumar Doe said, “We do not support the capture or killing of any wild animals.”