The labourers at tea gardens in Moulvibazar are granted leave on the last day of Bangla month of Poush. The leave is known as 'Pagla Chhuti' (leave for the fanatics) among the labourers. Some labourers spent the whole day by hunting wild animals.
But due to massive anti-hunting campaign of wild animals of the Department of Forests, the attempt of any sort of such hunting has come to a halt this year. Environment and nature-related organisation Meeta Foundation is sponsoring the campaign.
According to Sylhet Wildlife Range, from Friday (15 January) morning to noon, a four-member team headed by Moulvi Bazaar Wildlife Range Officer starts an anti-wildlife hunting campaign from Kamaichhara area to Daragaon Tea garden, Hatimara Tea Garden, some areas of Remakalenga including Boiragipunji and on the road of Baikka Beel through microphones.
Robi Kosta, Regional Coordinator of Meeta Foundation informed, being informed that local tea garden labourers would go for hunting with arrows and bows and various local arms of Friday, they contacted with the officials of the Department of Forestry seeking their help to stop such malpractice of hunting by tea garden labourers.
As a result, they jointly start the campaign and become successful to stop such hunting. By being afraid by the anti-hunting campaign of the Department of Forestry, many local hunters went into hiding, he informed further.
Motaleb Hossain, Range Officer (additional charge) of Habiganj under Moulvibazar of Sylhet Wildlife Department informed, whenever they came to learn about the hunting of the wild animals from the hilly region of the tea-garden during the leave of Poush Sankranti (End of the winter month of Poush), they start anti-wildlife hunting campaign through microphones and become 100 per cent successful. They recovered two traps for hunting wild animals from the possession of the local people and destroyed those.
He further mentioned, by extremely pleased with such anti-hunting campaign, a local people want to assist them by donating Taka 500 but they thank him and did not receive the money informing him such campaign was a part of their regular job.
Range Officer Motaleb informed such anti-hunting campaign would continue in future as well.
