Bangladesh: A 4 feet 6 inches long and 15 kg Gharial caught by Md. Badsha Miya, a fisherman, in his net while fishing in the Padma river near the Sahapara village of Habaspur union in Pangsha upazila of Rajbari district. He wanted to sell it in the local market. As soon as the matter came to the notice of Wildlife Crime Control Unit (WCCU), the concerned Upazilla Chairman Mr. Abdul Alim was contacted and the Chairman was asked to provide security after inquiring about the animal. The rescued Gharial was received by WCCU.

The Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) have been identified as the Critically Endangered crocodilian species in the world. As the Gharial is Critically Endangered, WCCU arranged to keep it with six other Gharial which were previously kept at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Safari Park, Gazipur. The Gharial is distributed in the Padma river (Ganges) and the Jamuna Brahmaputra river and some of the tributaries and distributaries in Bangladesh.

Source: WCCU, Bangladesh Forest Department.