Deer population in the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, is seriously threatened owing to the animal's rampant and indiscriminate poaching in the last few years.
Poachers are getting easy access to habitats of deer population in connivance with a section of forest officials particularly forest guards.
According to Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Mihir Kumar De, there were nearly one lakh and fifty thousand deer in the Sundarbans as per report of census carried out by the Sundarbans Forest Division during 1996-97 financial year.
But we cannot say the exact number of deer now living in the Sundarbans after cyclonic storms Sidr and Aila, he said.
Forest guards on Sunday night caught two poachers from Amragachhia village under Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat district.
They were identified as Mosharef Hossain, 60, son of Shaijuddin Khalifa and Feroz Sawdagar, 45, son of Jabbar Sawdagar of the same village.
The guards recovered 20 kilograms of venison, head and skin of a deer, two large size choppers and an axe from the possession of the poachers.
Another poacher named Mannan Khalifa, however, managed to flee sensing presence of the forest guards.
Maximum punishment for this crime of deer poaching under the act is six years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Tk 50,000, the DFO said.
The venison seized from the two poachers were dumped in the Bagerhat court compound as per order of the court while skin and head of poached deer would be preserved by the forest department, he said.
Earlier on September 4, forest guards arrested two poachers from Joimoni area under Mongla upazila of Bagerhat district. They were identified as Manik Talukder, son of Moslem Talukder and Golam Sarder, son of Kuddus Sardar.
According to the DFO, the poachers caught a spotted deer by setting a trap in the forest. Later, they brought the slaughtered deer to Joymoni to sell the venison.
However, the two poachers caught by the forest guards could not be prosecuted due to political influence, said Deputy Ranger Abul Kalam Azad.