Rare Himalayan palm civet allegedly beaten to death in Khagrachari

A rare Himalayan palm civet was allegedly beaten to death in Kamalchhari Union of Khagrachari Sadar, according to local sources. 

The animal was reportedly killed in the Naya Para area on Thursday (1 October), but the incident came to the attention of local residents on Friday after photographs of the dead animal were circulated on social media.

Forest Department officials later visited the site this morning (3 October).

A local resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, said several people in the area regularly hunt wildlife. The resident alleged that a group of people chased, captured and beat the civet to death. He also claimed that jungle fowl and rabbits are frequently hunted in the same area.

Md Anwar Hossain, a Forest Department official of the Bijitola Range, told The Business Standard that the Himalayan palm civet is a rare wild animal protected under Bangladesh’s wildlife conservation law. After learning about the incident, Forest Department officials visited the area and spoke to local residents, he said. However, they could not identify or find anyone directly involved in the alleged killing.

He added that local residents were made aware of the need to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.

Sathowai Marma, an organiser of the Biodiversity Conservation Society of CHT, told TBS that Himalayan palm civets generally inhabit mixed evergreen forests. They are nocturnal and shy animals, spending most of their time on tree branches or in the canopy and feeding mainly on various types of fruit.

According to him, the survival of such wildlife is increasingly threatened by indiscriminate hunting, deforestation and habitat destruction.