Wildlife enthusiast Sitesh Ranjan Deb passes away

Sitesh Ranjan Deb, chairman of the Bangladesh Wildlife Service Foundation, is no more. He passed away on Tuesday (July 14) morning after suffering a heart attack.

Family sources said that Sitesh Ranjan's body would be taken to his ancestral home in Noagaon of the upazila from his residence on Ramkrishna Mission Road in Sreemangal, Moulvibazar, for the last rites in the afternoon. His final rites will be held there.

Sitesh Ranjan Deb's father, Sris Deb, started working with wildlife as a hobby from 1962. He used to catch various animals and bring them home to care for them.

Sitesh Deb also learned the techniques of catching animals and his father's affection towards them from him. He established an animal shelter at his home in Sreemangal upazila of Moulvibazar.

Sitesh Ranjan Deb's animal shelter was formally established in 1971. The Wildlife Service Foundation was established in 2011 with the assistance of Bangladesh Bank.

In 1991, Sitesh Ranjan Deb suffered severe injuries to one eye, his face and nose in a bear attack.
Sitesh Ranjan established the country's first privately-run wildlife service organisation, the Wildlife Service Foundation, where he used to treat injured animals. It became known to tourists as Sitesh Babu's Zoo. Through this foundation, he gained recognition across the country.