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61 croc hatchlings missing from breeding centre

Washed away by tidal surge?

1 June 2009, 18:00 PM

NATIONAL

Staff Correspondent, Khulna

Sixty-one of the 133 hatchlings of crocodiles and five of the 13 deer have been missing from Wild Animal Breeding Centre at Karomjal under Chandpai Range of the east wing of Sundarbans Forest Division. The matter was detected after Chandpai Range Deputy Ranger Abdur Rob, who is also acting as caretaker of the breeding centre, conducted a recounting. The hatchlings of crocodiles and deer might have been washed away by tidal surges when cyclone Aila hit the area on May 25. Wall of the water reservoir of the breeding centre collapsed as Aila followed by furious onrush of tidal surges hit it, said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Mihir Kumar. Constructed on over eight acres of land at a cost of Tk 32 lakh in 2002 under the Sundarbans Biodiversity Conservation Project of the government, the Wild Animal Breeding Centre at at Karomjal in Mongla upazila is the first of its kind in the country, said Deputy Ranger Abdur Rob. There were three species of crocodiles in the Sundarbans -- estuarine or salt water crocodile, marsh or sweet water crocodile and gharial species of crocodile. The sweet water and gharial species became extinct several years ago while the salt water species remains an endangered one, DFO Mihir Kumar said. Sundarbans Forest Division took up the project for the animal breeding centre at Karomjol for increasing number of salt water species of crocodiles, he said. “Condition of the breeding centre is not at all satisfactory. The project could not achieve its aim due to lack of logistic supports and things required for its proper maintenance,” he added.