Four arrested for hunting wild boar in Satchari national park: Wildlife laws violated

In a recent incident in Satchari National Park, Habiganj, four men were caught red-handed while dividing the meat of a wild boar they had illegally hunted. 

Forest officials have now filed a case against them for violating wildlife protection laws.

The arrests took place on Saturday, January 25, when Mehdi Hasan, the beat officer of the Telmatsra area near Madhabpur and Chunarughat, filed a formal complaint with the Senior Judicial Magistrate’s Court. 

The complaint was about the four accused poachers who were involved in hunting and trafficking wildlife from the park.

The four accused—Montu Bakti, Bipon Hajda, Ratan Mridha, and Sukram Santal—are all residents of Mahajil village, located in Madhabpur upazila’s Surma tea garden area.

According to the forest department, these men have been involved in illegal hunting in Satchari and nearby Raghunandan Hill for quite some time.

The suspects had even been tracking bears recently. They were using traps to hunt animals like spotted deer and wild boar, then selling their meat on the black market. 

The forest department is now questioning the four arrested men to gather more information about other people involved in poaching.

Bishwajit Pal, a joint convener of a local wildlife group, Pakhi Premik Society, shared that an organized group has been involved in poaching and trafficking in this region. 

He urged the authorities to step up surveillance and ensure these individuals are brought to justice to protect the local wildlife.

Mehdi Hasan, the forest officer, explained that they had increased patrols in the area after discovering bears in Satchari National Park. He said, 

“Today, we arrested the four poachers and filed a case against them under wildlife protection laws. We are also urging the public to come forward with any information about illegal poaching activities.”

The forest department is committed to keeping wildlife in the area safe, and officials hope that with more vigilance and public support, they can curb illegal hunting in Satchari National Park.