Endangered nilgai found in Thakurgaon

An unfamiliar animal was roaming on the bank of Kulik river in Jaduzar area of Ranisankail upazila in Thakurgaon district on Tuesday. A villager, Abu Zahid, spotted it while fishing in the river and informed others. The villagers, then, managed to catch the animal.

Older villagers identified the animal as a female nilgai, a nearly extinct type of antelope largely seen in Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts of Bangladesh a few decades ago.

The largest species of the Asian antelope, however, still resides in the memory of local people.

The females are reddish-brown while the males bluish-grey. Nilgai goes out in a herd in moonlit nights for grass or other types of food.

Thakurgaon deputy commissioner Md Akhtaruzzaman said the nilgai has been kept in the Ramrai Dighi area. The animal is being treated there since it was slightly injured while being caught.

He could not say where it comes from.

The rescued nilgai stands about 3.5 feet in height and 5 feet in length.

Akhtaruzzaman said the nilgai will be handed over to the forest department once it is healed.