Endangered nilgai rescued in Chapainawabganj

Nilgai rescued in Chapainawabganj on Wednesday.

Chapainawabganj, Oct 26 -An endangered nilgai, was rescued from Shibganj Upazila of Chapainawabganj on Wednesday.

The Nilgai is a large Asian antelope, usually brown or bluish-grey, that is native to Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nepal.

Nilgai was previously declared extinct in Bangladesh by the International Union for Conservation of Nature around the middle of the 20th century.

But they remain sporadically spotted, and when the news is good, rescued. At other times they get slaughtered after straying into village communities.

The one found today has been kept under the supervision of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).

Mainul Islam, panel chairman of Daipukhuria Union Parishad under the Upazila, said locals spotted the nilgai along Bilbhatia Field border with India at the noon.

Later, they were able to take the animal under their watch after chasing it for five kilometres in the Barikbazar area near the border, Mainul said, adding that the animal might have come to Bangladesh from India.

Ahmad Niyamur Rahman, an officer of Rajshahi divisional wildlife management and natural preservation, said that Shibganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer informed him about the matter.

“A team of ours is on the way to the spot to bring back the animal to Rajshahi,” he said. - UNB