4 arrested over trafficking of 10 zebras

Four persons were arrested yesterday for their alleged involvement in smuggling 10 zebras into the country for trafficking them into India.

The arrestees and several unnamed people were sued by police.

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Owner of the makeshift cattle shed near the border in Jessore's Sharsha upazila, from where nine zebras were recovered on Wednesday, was arrested yesterday along with the three other suspects.

Sharsha police said the arrestees were suspected of being involved in bringing the zebras to the country from Africa with an intention to smuggle them into India.

They used large boxes to transport the animals, said Maniruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Detective Branch of police in Jessore.

The arrestees Titu, 40, Mukti, 45, Rana Bhuiyan, 28, and Kamruzzaman Babu, 32, are suspected of being involved in an international poaching gang.

Law enforcers suspect that a powerful network of wildlife smugglers was operating at Bagachra, Putkhali border to smuggle wildlife into India.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of Detective Branch of police raided Satmail Bazar area and found nine live and one dead zebras in the cattle shed.

Jessore Forest Officer Sarwar Alam Khan said it was the first time zebras were recovered from smugglers in Bangladesh.

He added that the zebra might have died due to exhaustion or some disease.

The seized zebras were handed over to Khulna Wildlife Conservation Department.

Our Gazipur correspondent reports, eight of the zebras were released into Gazipur Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park yesterday afternoon. Only one of them is male, said the park authorities.

Livestock officer Nizam Uddin said there used to be 14 zebras in the park, three of which were born there.