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বাংলা E-Paper 📍 Dhaka 📅 Sunday | 23 August 2026, 8 Bhadro 1433

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● Wing Commander Saifur sent to jail over BNP leader Iliyas Ali disappearance ● Cox’s Bazar airport to begin int'l operations by Oct: Aviation Minister ● Fake group emailed extortion threats to embassies: DB chief ● Police detain 2 over murder of 4 in Rangpur ● Gas shortage triggers frequent power cuts across Dhaka ● PM asks giving priority to merit in promotion of forces ● ‘Ghost’ sighted at Adamjee EPZ, mass illness hits factory

32 rare turtles rescued from Char Fasson fish market

Published : Sunday, 23 August, 2026 at 3:27 PM

Observer Correspondent

Forest officials recovered 32 endangered and rare species of turtles stocked illegally for trafficking from the main fish market in Char Fasson upazila.

The turtles were brought to the Char Fasson Forest Department for legal procedures, health checks, and subsequent release.

Forest department and local sources said a wildlife smuggling syndicate illegally stocked the turtles at the fish market under the guise of selling fish.

Acting on a tip-off, a special team led by Char Fasson Upazila Nursery Centre Forester in-charge Nasim Al Khusbu conducted a raid on the market at 10:00 PM on Saturday.

The traffickers abandoned bags containing the turtles and fled the scene upon sensing the presence of the drive, preventing any arrests. Officials subsequently seized the 32 turtles from the abandoned sacks.

The rescued species include the Indian Flapshell Turtle and the Indian Roofed Turtle, both listed under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Conservation Act as highly endangered.

Char Fasson Forest Department Range Officer Abdur Salam said the turtles were brought into safe custody following the raid. He added that officials provided primary medical treatment to check for injuries caused by prolonged confinement in sacks before releasing them into a Forest Department pond on Sunday morning per higher directives.

Environmentalists noted that turtles maintain aquatic ecological balance by consuming waste to keep water clean.

Hunting, buying, selling, transporting, or stocking these species remains a punishable offense under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012. Conscious citizens urged authorities to identify and prosecute members of the trafficking ring.

-SF/SA

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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury

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