Spotted deer slaughtered in Mirsarai, 3 suspects identified

Three individuals have been identified by the Forest Department in connection with the slaughter of a spotted deer in Mirsarai, Chattogram. Operations are underway to arrest them, officials of the Mirsarai Coastal Forest Department said on Wednesday, April 15. The incident took place on April 11 in the Muhuri Project area of Ichakhali union in the upazila.

A six-second video circulating on social media since Tuesday shows a man pressing down on a deer's leg near a natural canal and attempting to slaughter it with a sharp dao, while two others stand nearby. When asked why he was filming, the butcher paused and questioned the person recording. The video sparked widespread reactions on social media, with demands for the swift arrest and exemplary punishment of those involved.

Mirsarai Coastal Forest Department official Shahenshah Nawshad said three individuals have been preliminarily identified based on the video, and operations are underway to arrest them. The forest department suspects the individuals are labourers working at fish farms in the area.

Forest officials believe the slaughtered deer had become separated from its herd and strayed into the area.

According to the Forest Department, the coastal area of Mirsarai was once home to thousands of deer, along with various species of snakes, foxes, mongoose, fishing cats and countless birds across approximately 20 kilometres of mangrove forest. However, following the establishment of a special economic zone in the area, large-scale deforestation began, leading to the gradual disappearance of wildlife.