The elusive spotted deer is the most commonly sighted of the more than 300 wildlife species in the Sundarbans. The creature retreats into the dense undergrowth at the faintest sound of humans from afar. Tourists visiting the Sundarbans frequently see herds moving along the forest’s waterways and riverbanks. Two species inhabit the mangrove forest — the Southern red muntjac and the spotted deer — with the latter significantly outnumbering the former.
The Bangladeshi section of the Sundarbans covers 6,017 square km and is divided for administrative purposes into east and west zones, according to the forest department. The western zone comprises the areas of Khulna and Satkhira; the eastern zone takes in Bagerhat and a small part of Khulna. A survey by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in December 2023 recorded 136,604 deer in the forest. A previous survey in 2004 put the population at 83,000. Despite the apparent recovery, conservationists say poaching remains a persistent threat.
Allegations persist that several local poachers operate in the forest year-round with the connivance of forest department officials and guards. The traps set by these poachers ensnare not only deer but also wild boar and tigers on occasion.
Residents living adjacent to the Sundarbans said the activities of organised poachers pose a serious threat to the area’s wildlife. Villages adjacent to the forest are home to several known poaching and wildlife trafficking gangs. For some of those involved, poaching in the Sundarbans is a hereditary trade.
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, the east zone’s divisional forest officer, said his guards remained vigilant in protecting the forest's wildlife. “The department has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards forest crime. Regular patrols are driving offences down,” he said.
AZM Hasanur Rahman, the west zone’s divisional forest officer, said, “A certain element uses the festivals as an opportunity to plunder the forest’s resources. Deer poaching intensifies at these times. But stringent security measures including round-the-clock patrols have been introduced to curb it.
Khulna Regional Conservator of Forests Imran Ahmed acknowledged constraints such as staff shortages but said officials and guards were working to suppress all forest-related crime. He said, “Fishermen who illegally enter the forest are frequently arrested, and items such as pesticides, fish caught using pesticides, and banned fine-mesh nets are being seized. While isolated deer poaching incidents still occur, the numbers are significantly lower than in the past. It’s the crackdown on poachers that’s leading to arrests with deer meat and the seizure of large quantities of traps.”
However, residents living near the Sundarbans offered a different account. Speaking on condition of anonymity, several said more than 150 poaching gangs are still active in the forest. These professional hunters, they explained, disguise themselves as fishermen and enter the Sundarbans carrying rope alongside their fishing nets. Inside the forest, they use the rope to fashion traps, which they lay along deer trails. When the animals pass by, they are caught. The poachers then butcher the carcasses in the forest and smuggle the meat out to nearby villages for sale. Before leaving, the hunters bury the traps in the forest floor, ready to be dug up on their next foray into the mangroves.
The scale of the problem was highlighted by Obaidul Kabir Samrat, media coordinator for the Sundarbans and Bangladesh Coastal Protection Movement. He said deer poaching in the forest had risen to an alarming rate. He explained, “Demand for venison surges in communities near the Sundarbans during festivals; wealthy individuals celebrate with the meat, and local poaching gangs intensify their activities. For every seizure of meat and skin, several times more animals are taken. The occasional raids that recover deer meat, hides or heads rarely catch the hunters or traffickers. In most cases, only the carriers are caught. And those arrested often return to the trade upon release from jail, a consequence of weak laws.”
An analysis of those arrested in various security force operations for deer poaching shows that involvement in the crime is highest among people living closest to the forest. Poachers predominantly come from the Sundarbans-proximate upazilas of Koyra, Dakop and Paikgasa in Khulna; Shyamnagar in Satkhira; and Mongla and Sarankhola in Bagerhat. The villages in these sub-districts are home mostly to labouring communities, where nearly every family has at least one member whose livelihood depends on the forest.
When contacted about their activities, the Coast Guard’s Western Zone (Mongla headquarters) and the Khulna Range DIG’s office said operations were ongoing to rid the Sundarbans and coastal belt of pirates and to prevent smuggling and other illegal activities. A joint operation against pirates was first launched on February 24. A second phase of the joint campaign began on March 2. The Coast Guard is leading the operation, with participation from the Navy, the Rapid Action Battalion and the Police.
Dr Shaikh Faridul Islam, the state minister for forest, environment and climate change, said, “Community-based protection circles are being established alongside forest department staff to ensure the security of the Sundarbans and the coast. The use of digital technology in these efforts would be expanded. If any forest official is found to be involved in wrongdoing, strict action would be taken.”