Finding no buyers, Feni traders dump over 100 animal hides into the river

Hoping to earn some extra money, two seasonal traders in Feni collected sacrificial animal hides during Eid. But after failing to find any buyers, they eventually dumped more than 100 cattle and goat hides into a river in frustration.

The hides were thrown into the Katakhali River in Mamarizpur village of Daganbhuiyan upazila on Friday afternoon. A video showing the hides being dumped into the river has since circulated on social media.

The two seasonal traders involved were Didarul Alam and Khurshid Alam of Mamarizpur village.

According to local sources, Didarul and Khurshid purchased more than 100 cattle and goat hides with cash from various areas on Eid day. They later took the hides to local markets in the hope of selling them, but by Friday afternoon they had been unable to find any hide traders.

By then, more than 24 hours had passed and the hides had begun to decompose. Frustrated and disappointed, they loaded the hides onto a van and dumped them into the Katakhali River, where the hides were carried away by the current.

Khurshid Alam said they had bought the hides by going door to door and paying cash, hoping to make a modest profit. Although they waited throughout Thursday night for buyers to arrive, no traders came forward.

In the intense heat, the hides began to rot and emit a foul smell. After unsuccessfully contacting various traders, they felt they had no option but to dispose of them in the river. The incident caused them substantial financial losses.

Local residents have expressed concern that dumping such a large quantity of hides into the river could lead to environmental pollution.

Daganbhuiyan Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shahidul Islam said the administration had taken note of the video showing the hides being dumped into the river. He said that if the traders had been unable to sell the hides, they could have informed the administration or local public representatives. The matter is now being investigated.

The UNO added that the upazila assistant commissioner (land) spoke to the two traders on Friday night. They expressed regret over their actions and assured officials that they would not do anything similar in the future.

Meanwhile, Fazlul Haque, a resident of the Kolabagan area of Feni town, said he had donated the hide of his sacrificial cow to a local madrasa after being unable to find a buyer. He added that he had been donating hides rather than selling them for the same reason over the past several years.

The superintendent of a madrasa and orphanage in Feni town, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the institution had received donations of more than 100 cattle hides this year.

While each hide had sold for Tk 450 last year, this year the hides had to be handed over to wholesalers without any fixed price. The wholesaler has promised to pay once the hides are sold, but there are concerns that the institution will receive a lower price than last year.

According to the Feni District Livestock Office, a total of 79,776 animals were sacrificed across the district’s six upazilas this year. Of these, 63,055 were cattle and buffaloes, while 16,721 were goats and sheep.