25 rescued Tokay geckos released in Sylhet forest

Twenty-five Tokay geckos, rescued on December 1 from Zakiganj upazila in Sylhet, were released in Khadimnagar National Park this afternoon.

The move came following a court order directing that the lizards be released in a national forest, Islam Uddin, forest ranger in Sylhet, said.

On December 1 last year, 28 Tokay geckos were rescued from a house at Mobinpur area of Zakiganj upazila in Sylhet and one Bilal Ahmed was arrested for illegally having them, Paritosh Paul, sub-inspector of Zakiganj Police Station, said.

Photo: Sheikh Nasir/Star

Police filed a case in this regard that day and on December 12, a Sylhet court ordered police to release the geckos in a national forest with help from the forest department, he added.

But among the rescued geckos, three died by this time and the remaining 25 were released, the forest ranger said.

Photo: Sheikh Nasir/Star

This species occurs in northeast India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh, throughout Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Indonesia. Its native habitat is rainforest, where it lives on trees and cliffs, and it also frequently adapts to rural human habitations, roaming walls and ceilings at night in search of insect prey.

The animal is listed by IUCN as "least concern", although they have become a rarer sight in the country.