Did two of the lemurs stolen in Bangladesh end up in India? Officials are investigating
The case of three ring-tailed lemurs, an endangered species, stolen from Gazipur Safari Park in Bangladesh last year resurfaced on social media in September this year, when news spread that two of the lemurs were trafficked to India and later sheltered at a private wildlife conservation facility, Vantara. The viral news prompted Vantara to release […]
Three ring-tailed lemurs, an endangered species, were stolen from Gazipur Safari Park in Bangladesh last year. In September, the case resurfaced on social media after it was reported that two of the lemurs had been trafficked to India and taken in by a private wildlife conservation facility called Vantara. Vantara quickly released a statement denying the allegations and promised to cooperate with Bangladesh authorities by sharing the DNA profile of the lemurs in their care.
However, the Bangladesh Forest Department was slow to respond, as they had no previous DNA records of the lemurs stolen from Gazipur.
Sufi Ullah, a special superintendent of police under the Criminal Investigation Department of Bangladesh Police, explained that even if court orders a further investigation, cross-border investigation is challenging due to a lack of a repatriation protocol between Bangladesh and India. The Wildlife Crime Control Unit (WCCU) director, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, added that any further investigation and repatriation of the lemurs will only occur if both countries agree to do so.
Krishna Prasad Acharya, the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network Secretary General, stated that sharing information between countries can help verify the available information, coordinate follow-up, and potentially lead to the recovery of the lemurs.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
