Injured nilgai rescued in Panchagarh

Injured Nilgai rescued in Panchagarh. UNB

Panchagarh, Apr 9 – Members of the forest department rescued an injured nilgai, a species considered nearly extinct in Bangladesh, on Wednesday from the Joydharbhanga area of Chaklahat union of Panchagarh Sadar upazila.

The rescue was made possible with the help of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members from a nearby Border Outpost (BOP) and assistance from local residents, said Haripad Babu, a ranger of the Panchagarh Forest Department.

The animal will be sent to Gazipur Safari Park once it recovers fully. "Nilgai is almost extinct in our country. This one entered Bangladesh from India," he added.

According to officials, the animal sustained injuries in various parts of its body while crossing the barbed wire fence from India into Bangladesh.

After the rescue, it received primary medical treatment at the upazila livestock office and is currently being kept in the custody of the Panchagarh Forest Department.

Local residents said the nilgai entered Bangladesh around noon on Wednesday, breaking through a section of barbed-wire fencing at the Pradhanpara border of Panchagarh Sadar.

Mistaking it for a deer, hundreds of locals chased the animal. Eventually, it jumped into the Panga River in the Joydharbhanga area, where it was caught and tied up by villagers.

Upon receiving the information, BGB personnel rushed to the scene and took the animal to their camp. Later, local public representatives informed the Panchagarh Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer.

Mohammad Zainul Abedin, a beat officer of the Panchagarh Forest Department, visited the spot and took the nilgai to the upazila livestock hospital for primary treatment. The animal is currently being kept in a room at the Forest Department's office. - UNB