The wounds of severe cyclone Rimal have started to become evident in the Sundarbans. Trees have been uprooted in various parts of the forest protecting the township from storm surges. The Sundarbans were submerged in water for about 30 hours. This has led to brackish water entering freshwater ponds for wildlife and foresters. The carcass of the deer is found .
The forest department has recovered 26 dead bodies of deer from different areas of Sundarban till noon today. Apart from this, dead bodies of three deer have been recovered from Baleswar river in Barguna’s Patharghata upazila.
17 deer were rescued and treated and released back into the forest. Rescue and search operations are still going on. Khulna Region Conservator of Forests (CF) Mihir Kumar Do confirmed the matter.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sundarban East Forest Division Kazi Mohammad Nurul Karim told Prothom Alo, ‘We cannot go to all places yet. Seas and rivers are turbulent. There was high tide for about 25 to 30 hours. As a result I hear the news of many wild animals dying. We will be able to inform after getting more details.’
Nurul Kabir also said that the Katkar pond has disappeared into the sea. Window glasses, solar panels, water tanks of various offices of the forest department were blown away in the storm. Jetty, pond and other structures were damaged.
Conservator of Forests Mihir Kumar Do posted on social media Facebook a video of an injured deer being rescued from uprooted trees in Dublar Char area of Sundarbans. The caption of the post read, ‘The deer survived by sheer luck, but how many other deer and wild animals were swept away by the tide will never be counted.’
Meanwhile, the local residents found the dead bodies of three deer floating in the Tafalbaria embankment area on the bank of Baleshwar river in Patharghata upazila of Barguna.
Rakib Hossain, a local resident, said that three dead deer of the Sundarbans were floated in the Baleshwar river due to the abnormal tides and high tides caused by Cyclone Rimal and came to Tafalbaria embankment area. Later, members of the Gnanpara Forest Department rescued three deer and buried them.
Baghabandhu Imam Hossain of the Patharghata Tiger Team told Prothom Alo that wild animals including deer were washed away due to the abnormal tide and high tide in the Sundarbans during Cyclone Rimal for more than 30 hours. They believe that the deer died and floated here due to abnormal tides.