A woman in Barguna divorces her husband after his arrest for illegally killing protected deer, drawing attention to wildlife poaching and the growing need for stronger conservation enforcement.
A woman in southern Bangladesh has divorced her husband after he was arrested for illegally killing protected deer, a case that highlights growing concern over wildlife poaching in the country.
Shahinur Begum, 40, from Patharghata in Barguna district, sent a divorce notice to her husband Md Hanif, 45, on Tuesday after he was caught with slaughtered deer during a raid by Bangladesh Forest Department officials.
Hanif was arrested on Monday night when forest guards conducted an operation in the Badurtala canal area under Patharghata Sadar Union. Authorities said they recovered two slaughtered deer and nine illegal hunting traps from a fishing trawler and detained him on the spot.
Hanif, originally from Haritana village but recently living in Ward 7 of Patharghata municipality, was later produced before the Patharghata Senior Judicial Magistrate’s Court. The court sentenced him to one year in prison and fined him 50,000 Bangladeshi taka, roughly 450 US dollars. The judge also ordered an additional one month of imprisonment if the fine is not paid.
Following court instructions, the seized deer skins and antlers were preserved by authorities while the meat was destroyed by mixing it with kerosene and burying it.
Deer are protected wildlife in Bangladesh under the Wildlife Conservation and Security Act which prohibits hunting, killing or trading protected species.
Speaking to reporters, Shahinur said her husband had previously worked as a fisherman in the sea but recently became involved in illegal deer hunting.
She said family members repeatedly warned him not to engage in such activities but he ignored their advice.
Shahinur’s younger brother, Zahirul Islam, who works at the Forest Department’s Patharghata Sadar Beat Office, said the situation had also created difficulties for him professionally.
“Because of Hanif’s illegal activities, it was becoming very difficult for me to continue my work in the forest department,” he said.
Wildlife crime remains a serious concern in Bangladesh particularly in coastal regions near forest ecosystems where species such as deer are vulnerable to illegal hunting. Environmentalists say stronger enforcement and community awareness are essential to protecting the country’s biodiversity.
