In search of safety

They are leaving their habitation due to attempts on their lives by hunters, illegal extraction of trees, fresh human settlement at the dense forest and extension of cultivable land.

About 32 species of wildlife have already left while 50 others are now on the verge of extinction, experts said.

Of the 32 species, four rare species of snakes, wild buffalo, wolf, three species of gander and Nil Gai have vanished, forest official Abu Yusuf, based in Rangamati, said.

The species mainly started disappearing when the insurgency and human settlement in the dense forests began, a forest official said on condition of anonymity.

Number of tigers, deer, monkey, elephants, gharial, bonrui and dolphin also decreased, he added.

Organised gangs of hunters and traffickers are very active here.

Hunters very often poach animals and birds for the traffickers who promise them higher price, said a forest guard at Borkol.

The hunters use nets, bows and arrows, firearms and different types of traps to catch wild animals. Some even use poison mixed with food, local people said.

The members of Pangkhuas, the Mro, the Bawm and the Khyang tribes hunt animals and birds for their livelihood. They are very active at the hard-to-reach areas of the three hill districts.

The hunted wild pigs, fowls, deer and even elephants fetch good price and easy market.

Selling meat of pig, deer and fowl at different market in the CHT is common, said Fazle Elahee, an activist of the Rangamati based organisation Global Village, working for preservation of forest and environment.

Besides, continuous deforestation and burning of jungles for jhum cultivation force the wild elephant, deer, boar, beer, monkey, wild fowl and tiger to look for their safe haven elsewhere, sources said.

A number of different species of birds that enriched the CHT wild are rare nowadays.

Despite hunters' frequent forays, there is no separate watchdog body or human resources in the CHT to make the wildlife safe, forest sources said.

A sanctuary was established at Pablakhali range where a wild elephant died a few months back, said sources.

A range officer was posted there but without any logistic support. 'The range officer hardly comes there', sources added.