Photo: BSS

KHULNA, July 6, 2025 (BSS) – The Sundarbans Forest Division is achieving massive success during its ongoing combing operation as it recovered large quantities of deer traps, deer meat, and chemically contaminated shrimp, along with banned crab-catching gear from the mangrove forest. 

During the operation that began in May, forest guards recovered numerous deer traps and buried them underground near the Shawla River in the Chandpai Range.

Additionally, illegal fishing gear and crab-catching traps were burned and destroyed on the spot.

Over the past two months, 76 individuals have been arrested, 42 kilograms of venison, along with a large quantity of chemical mixed shrimp and deer traps, have been seized. 

Additionally, 53 trawlers and boats were seized, and 42 cases have been filed during the period. 

The Forest Division launched the combing operations in the Sundarbans, aiming to arrest deer poachers and smugglers, as well as destroy deer traps, following a recent surge in poaching activities in the mangrove forest.

Currently, a three-month fishing ban is in effect in the Sundarbans. However, some fishers continue to illegally enter the forest at night and poison canals to catch fish, evading forest patrols.

According to the East Sundarbans Division sources, a major operation began two months ago in the Sharankhola and Chandpai ranges of the Sundarbans. 

During this period, record amounts of nylon snares used for hunting deer and poisoned shrimp were recovered by forest officials. 

The largest seizure of shrimp took place on Thursday, when six dinghy boats were intercepted in the Boro Bosta canal under the Jongra patrol outpost. From these boats, forest rangers seized around 120 kg of chemical-mixed shrimp and five bottles of pesticide.
 
In May and June, a total of 86 special drives were carried out across the Sharankhola and Chandpai ranges in the East Sundarbans. 

As a result, 42 cases were filed involving 76 accused individuals. Seizures from various parts of the Sundarbans included 42 kg of venison along with three deer heads, and 2,065 nylon deer snares. A total of 445 kg of chemically contaminated shrimp was recovered, and 53 boats and 532 illegal crab traps were seized.

To curb rampant deer poaching and the smuggling of venison and skeletons, the East Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Rezaul Karim Chowdhury initiated a month-long combing operation beginning on May 1.

The Forest Department reports a sharp rise in deer poaching in the Sundarbans in recent months, as poachers are placing nylon net traps deep inside the forest to capture deer. 

As part of the operation, forest guards are patrolling the deep jungles of the Sundarbans on foot. 

Talking to BSS, Mohammad Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Eastern Sundarbans, said that the ongoing two-month operation has significantly curbed deer poaching. However, some dishonest individuals are still attempting to use pesticides for fishing by evading forest authorities. 

The DFO stated that instructions have been given to intensify the crackdown further to apprehend such offenders.

Imran Ahmed, Conservator of Forests (CF), told BSS that some criminals, disguised as fishermen, bawalis, and mouals, are actively engaged in poaching deer and smuggling their body parts to other parts of the country.

"The combing operation has yielded encouraging results in combating recent deer poaching," he said.

He noted that regular patrolling by forest personnel and law enforcement agencies is playing a significant role in both increasing the deer population and controlling poaching. 

Imran also added that the deer population in the Sundarbans has increased in recent years. A survey conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in December 2023 reported the current deer population at 136,604, compared to around 83,000 in 2004-an increase of 53,604 over a decade.

Talking to BSS, Sheikh Ashrafuzzaman, President of the Greater Khulna Development Action Coordination Committee, said that the demand for venison and deer parts is gradually rising among smugglers.

"Despite the combing operation, Poachers have become more desperate as the demand for venison has increased due to its low price in areas surrounding the Sundarbans," he said, adding that the ongoing combing operation will help uproot organized poaching rings.

He also called for regular drives in both divisions of the Sundarbans to rid the forest of poachers, smugglers, and forest robbers.