Highlights
- An Extinct Freshwater Crocodile, once declared extinct by the IUCN, has been spotted in Rajshahi’s Padma River.
- Wildlife photographers Imrul Kayes and Umme Khadija Eva captured the rare sight.
- Experts believe the crocodile may have come from India’s Chambal River or is evidence of species return in Bangladesh.
A Rare Discovery in Padma River
An Extinct Freshwater Crocodile — declared extinct in Bangladesh by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2000 — has been spotted in the Padma River at Char Majardia in Rajshahi.
The remarkable discovery was made last Thursday (October 16) by wildlife photographers and rescuers Imrul Kayes and Umme Khadija Eva while they were photographing birds in the area.
Photographers Share Their Experience
Imrul Kayes told The Business Standard that they were taking photos around noon when they received a call from the Wildlife Conservation Department, saying a crocodile had been seen in the river.
He said,
“আমরা সঙ্গে সঙ্গে কুমিরের খোঁজে বের হই… হঠাৎ নদীর পানিতে ত্রিভুজাকৃতির কিছু দেখতে পাই। কাছে যেতেই বোঝা যায়, সেটি কুমির।”
Translation: “We immediately went to search for it… Suddenly, I saw a triangular shape in the river water. As we went closer, we realized it was a crocodile.”
The couple used a drone to capture footage and photos of the animal. Imrul noted that the crocodile was found about 450 meters inside Bangladesh’s border, in a deep-water zone that extends towards India.
He added,
“বন্যপ্রাণীর কোনো সীমান্তরেখা নেই… যেমন পদ্মার চরে বন্য শূকর দেখা যায় না, কিন্তু ওপারে ভারতের বনে পাওয়া যায়।”
Translation: “Wildlife knows no borders… For example, we don’t see wild boars on our side of the Padma, but they are found just across in Indian forests.”
“সাধারণডিমবিক্রিকরেআমরাকীভাবে ১৫ লক্ষকাস্টমারএনেছি—এইবইয়েআছেতারবাস্তবকাহিনি!”
Authorities Confirm the Finding
Inspector Jahangir Kabir from the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Department confirmed the sighting.
He said,
“২০০০ সালে আইইউসিএন মিঠা পানির কুমিরকে বিলুপ্ত ঘোষণা করে… তবে এবার যে কুমিরটি দেখা গেছে সেটি প্রাপ্তবয়স্ক।”
Translation: “The IUCN declared the freshwater crocodile extinct in 2000… But the one seen this time is a fully grown adult.”
According to him, the crocodile may have come from India or could indicate the species is naturally returning to the region.
“আপনার ব্যবসা এখন অনলাইনে— Storola-এর সাথে সহজ ও স্মার্টভাবে!”
Experts’ View
IUCN’s lead researcher A.B.M. Sarowar Alam (Simanta Dipu) stated that Bangladesh officially declared the freshwater crocodile extinct in 2015. Since then, a few have been sighted in Pabna and other places — now kept at the Karamjal Crocodile Breeding Center in the Sundarbans.
He said,
“রাজশাহীর কুমিরটি বাংলাদেশের প্রকৃতিতে বেড়ে ওঠা নয়, বরং এটি ভারতের চাম্বুল নদ থেকে আসতে পারে।”
Translation: “The crocodile seen in Rajshahi likely did not grow up in Bangladesh’s nature — it might have come from India’s Chambal River.”
Alam added that Bangladesh currently has three crocodile species — the saltwater crocodile of the Sundarbans, the now-extinct freshwater crocodile, and the gharial seen in the Padma–Jamuna rivers.
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A Hopeful Sign for Conservation
The rare sighting has sparked optimism among wildlife experts and conservationists, who believe this could indicate that Bangladesh’s lost freshwater crocodiles might be making a slow comeback — a hopeful sign for biodiversity in the region.
