Bagerhat Correspondent :
Missing of baby crocodiles from Karamjal Wild Animal Breeding Centre under Chamndpai Forest Range in Eastern Division of Sundarban forest is still shrouded with mysteries.
The primary investigation report of the Forest Department is quite contradicted with that of the police department. Investigation Officer of the police department reported that the baby crocodiles had been stolen while the Investigation Officer of the forest department reported that bay crocodiles had been killed in a preplanned way.
It is reported that some 43 baby crocodiles were stolen or smuggled out from 2 artificial pans of Karamjal Wild Animal Breeding Centre of Sundarban Forest Department at two times at the nights of January 29 and January 30. The investigation committee formed on the following day by the forest department submitted the report to the higher authorities of the forest department accusing Zakir Hossain and Mahbubul Alam, two employees of Karamjal breeding centre of the wild animals. It was mentioned in the report that the baby crocodiles had been killed as a sabotage act by them. After receiving the report DFO Md. Sayeedul Islam directed Tauhidur Rahman, Officer-in-charge of the breeding centre to dismiss accused employee Mahbubul Alam and lodge a GD with the local PS against employee Zakir Hossain. As per the direction the Officer-in-charge of the wild animal breeding centre lodged a GD with Dakop PS in Khulna district against accused employee Zakir Hossain. The other accused employee Mahbubul Alam was also dismissed from the service. As per the GD lodged with Dakop PS its SI Omar Faruk visited the place occurrence in order to investigate into the matter. After completing the investigation the police officer disclosed to the newsmen, according to the primary investigation I am confirmed that the baby crocodiles had been stolen. He added, the employees of breeding centre may be involved in it and we advised the forest department to register a case and after that we will do the needful.
When the newsmen brought the matter to the notice of Tauhidul Islam, the officer-in-chare of Karamjal wild animal breeding centre he told, the baby crocodiles were killed in a preplanned way as a sabotage act. On the first day no dead body of the crocodile or any part of its body was found by the side of the pan. But on the second day the dead bodies of some crocodiles, 9 in number, and their decomposed bodies were found.
At one stage he claimed that Zakir and Mahbub of the centre are responsible for that. He further added, they insisted me more than ones to meet up their impossible demands. And as I failed to translate their impossible demands into practice they tried to get me into a scrape through killing the baby crocodiles.
Meheduuzzman, range Officer of Chandpai forest range who is the head of a-3 men investigating committee formed by DFO of the Eastern Division of the forest disclosed to the newsmen that he had already submitted the report to the DFO Md. Sayeedul Islam. He added, after that the DFO on Thursday at night once again formed another investigation committee headed by me and I will submit the report the DFO on Sunday. The forest ranger further told, Zakir and Mahbub, 2 employees of the Karamjal wild animal breeding centre found responsible in many ways for the killing of the baby crocodiles.
When contacted the forest ranger answered to the newsmen that they accused persons had not been interrogated and they had not confessed their guilty. When the journalists asked him, is it possible to recover the missing baby crocodiles either alive or dead? The ranger did not answer to the question.
It may be mentioned here that for want of initiative of the government crocodiles of sweet water specie and Gharial were vanished from Sundarban forest long ago. Crocodile of saline water specie is also on the verge of extinction. In the year 1997 when a crocodile of saline water specie was caught in the fishing net of the fishermen at Dublar Char of Sundarban Forest the preliminary step was taken to increase the number of crocodiles in the forest. In the year 2002 a breeding centre of crocodiles and deer was formally and ceremonially founded at Karamjal under Chandpai Forest Range in the Eastern Division of Sundarban forest by the forest department. Here the crocodile bred babes in the year 2005 and deer bred fawns in the year 2007 for the first time. Some 318 crocodiles were born in the breeding centre so far. Some 75 of them were swept away by the devastating cyclone Sidr on November15 in the year 2007. On the other hand, as many as 72 adult crocodiles were released in Sundarban forest.
Moreover, five crocodiles were sent to Chittgang Dulhazra Safari park and Bhola Safari park. Before the missing of 43 baby crocodiles there were some 263 babies, an adult male crocodile named Romeo and 2 adult female crocodiles named Juliet and Pilpil were in the breeding centre.
