From Katabon to international wildlife trafficking ring, Bangladesh is the transit

Forty-two wild animals, including rare species such as eagle-owls, langurs, great hornbills and yellow-bellied sliders, were found hidden in a warehouse in Mirpur of the capital. Following their rescue in a Forest Department raid, investigators uncovered evidence of a major international wildlife trafficking network.

According to the Forest Department, the rescued animals were only part of a larger operation. An organised syndicate has been active for years behind this operation. Other than Bangladeshi wildlife, animals from various other countries are being trafficked using routes through Bangladesh.

Officials involved in the investigation said members of the syndicate would catch rare animals from hilly forest regions and keep them in Dhaka. The animals were then smuggled through airports and land border routes to destinations including Dubai, Qatar, Vietnam, Thailand, China and India. Authorities believe the network has been involved in wildlife trafficking for more than a decade.

The Forest Department’s Wildlife Crime Control Unit raided the Mirpur warehouse last Tuesday. According to officials, Bangladesh is no longer just a ‘source country’; traffickers are now using it as a vital ‘transit route’ for international wildlife smuggling. The syndicate allegedly uses Bangladesh to move animals from India to the Middle East and other destinations, while wildlife from other countries is also routed through Bangladesh into India.

Wildlife Crime Control Unit officials revealed that Hadisur had been under their surveillance for a long time. He reportedly spent several months each year deep within hilly forests, building relations with locals and paying them to capture rare animals for his export pipeline.

Investigators confirmed that several other members of this international network have already been identified and a broader inquiry is currently underway.

Officials of the Wildlife Crime Control Unit have said that most of the animals recovered from the Mirpur warehouse belong to protected and endangered species.

Among the rescued animals was the eagle owl. Larger than the common barn owl, it resembles an eagle in appearance. These birds are mainly found in the deep forests of Sylhet and Chattogram. They play an important role in maintaining ecological balance by feeding on snakes, frogs and small mammals.

The rescued animals also included eagle owl, capped langur, great hornbill, slow loris, porcupine, three civets and a hill yellow tortoise, officials said.

The operation recovered capped langurs from the deep forests of Lawachara National Park and the Alikadam, Lama and Khagrachhari regions of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Great hornbills were also found. These large birds usually nest in tree hollows in high forest canopies in hilly areas. Slow lorises, porcupines and three civets were also among the rescued animals. One civet was found dead. Civets have around seven species worldwide, many of which are under varying levels of threat.

A hill yellow tortoise was also recovered. This species is considered an indicator of forest health. The tortoise can live up to 100–150 years, and its presence is often taken as a sign of relatively intact ecological balance in the area.

Experts say these animals are not only forest dwellers, they play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of entire ecosystems.

Officials of the Forest Department say Bangladesh has emerged as an important transit route in international wildlife trafficking. Animals and animal parts from different countries are being brought into Bangladesh and then smuggled onward to other destinations. Traffickers are using complex and extended routes to evade surveillance.

Wildlife Inspector Asim Mallik told Prothom Alo that, in some cases, exotic pets are brought from the United States via China into Bangladesh, before being smuggled into India. In other instances, bird claws and animal body parts sourced from India are routed through Bangladesh and sent on to China.

According to Mallik, traffickers prefer these longer routes because direct shipments from foreign countries to India carry a higher risk of detection and seizure.

Investigations have revealed that rare turtles, including star tortoises brought from India and China, are trafficked through Bangladesh to destinations such as Dubai, Qatar, Vietnam and the United States.

Officials say there is strong international demand for turtle meat and shells. The meat is used to prepare specialty soups, while the shells are used to make expensive ornaments and luxury decorative items. These turtles are smuggled into Bangladesh by road from India and China, and then sent onward to various countries via air and land routes.

In October last year, the Wildlife Crime Control Unit of the Forest Department recovered 925 turtles at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport during an attempted smuggling operation to Malaysia. The seizure included 145 star tortoises and 780 common roofed turtles.
The turtles were found in the luggage of a passenger named Mohammad Shawkat Ali Bhuiyan during scanning. However, he managed to flee the scene.

Officials said organised networks are exploiting weak surveillance at airports and border points, using Bangladesh as an international transit hub. While security at airports and borders is relatively strict for detecting gold and narcotics, there is still a shortage of technology and manpower for detecting wildlife trafficking. As a result, live animals and animal parts are often able to pass through undetected between countries.

Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Director of the Wildlife Crime Control Unit, told Prothom Alo that trafficking of endangered wildlife is increasing environmental and biodiversity risks in Bangladesh. He said every species in the forest plays a vital role in the ecosystem, and the loss of even one can disrupt the entire food chain, potentially leading to long-term ecological imbalance and a silent environmental disaster.