Records of biodiversity on earth began to be kept after 1800 AD. No list of biodiversity has been made in any country before. Many countries in the world still do not have biodiversity record systems. And at the present time, biodiversity is in great crisis. Numerous species of plants and animals listed are already extinct. Again, there are many species that are not yet completely extinct but are becoming extinct from many regions. There are some species in Bangladesh. Today we will briefly talk about ten endangered animals - Rajshakun, Gharial, freshwater crocodile, nilgai, porpoise, Rhinoceros, Gaur, Wild buffalo, Peacock and Hargila.
1.Rajshakun:
Rajshakun (King Vulture) is an endangered bird species not only in Bangladesh but in the whole world context. It has been included in the list of endangered species in Bangladesh. Formerly a resident bird of Bangladesh, this Red-headed Vulture or King Vulture is no longer seen.
Sarcogyps calvus is the scientific name of the most widespread vulture in Southeast Asia. Their heads are red and their feathers are black. You can't understand from outside which is male and which is female. Rajasakunas live alone or in pairs. You won't see them with the group like other vultures. The carcasses of dead animals are their food. They build their nests on the branches of many tall trees and lay only one. It takes 45 days for the eggs to hatch. Rajshakun is an animal species protected under the Wildlife Act of Bangladesh.
2.Gharial:
The Gharial (fish-eating crocodile) is a reptile. Its position in the list of most endangered animals in Bangladesh. Although a couple of Gharials from upstream India were suddenly spotted, it is believed that this species is almost extinct in Bangladesh.
The scientific name of the Gharial is Gavialis gangeticus. Male and female Gharial are not the same. The male Gharial is large in size, about 6.5 m in length. The female Gharial is 4.5 meters in length. They live in fast-flowing and deep water. Fish is their main food. The Gharial breeds from November to January. The female Gharial lays eggs and burrows in the sand. The baby hatches from 30-50 large eggs at a time after 3 months. The Gharial are found in the Brahmaputra River in India and Bhutan, the Indus River in Pakistan, and the Ganges River in India and Nepal. Gharials are also becoming almost extinct in Myanmar and Pakistan. One of the major reasons for the extinction of Gharial is their entanglement in fishermen's nets. The Gharial need to be protected from extinction by creating awareness among the fishermen.
3.Freshwater crocodile:
Crocodylus palustris is the scientific name for freshwater crocodiles. Naturally, this crocodile is no longer found in Bangladesh. In other words, the freshwater crocodile is an extinct species in Bangladesh.
At present, there are some crocodiles in the pond near the tomb of Khan Jahan Ali (ra) in Bagerhat. And recently some crocodiles have been brought from India for the purpose of keeping in the safari park. An adult freshwater crocodile is 3-5 meters long. They live in the freshwater of the river pond. They do not usually enter the tidal zone. Living in groups. The eggs laid by digging holes in the banks of the river hatch in 50-55 days. The few surviving freshwater crocodiles urgently need maintenance and breeding.
4.Nilgai:
Nilgai was last seen in Bangladesh in the 1940s in the Tentulia region. But now it is no longer seen. So, it can be said that the blue cow is an extinct animal in Bangladesh. Nilgai is a mammal whose scientific name is Boselaphus tragocamelus. Their bulls and cows roam separately at other times of the year except during the breeding season. The skin color of cows and bulls is different. Adult cow fur is yellowish-brown and bull fur is bluish-gray.
5.Porpoise:
The name of a mammal is the porpoise. This animal is now listed as endangered in Bangladesh. They usually roam the seas and coasts. During the monsoon season, large rivers can be seen flowing inland. Two types of dolphins are found in Bangladesh.
Their scientific names are Orcaella brevirostris and Neophocaena phocaenoides. They go in groups and jump on the water from time to time. Their main food is fish. Dolphins are known by different names, such as Susuk fish, haum fish, Hachem fish, baby fish.
6.Rhinoceros:
The three species of Rhinoceros still found in Asia, the Indian, Sumatran, and Javanese rhinoceros species were once very popular in our country. The Indian species could be seen in the Sylhet region. In the depths of the Sundarbans and the Chittagong Hill Tracts, relatively small Sumatran and Javanese rhinos could be found.
The market price of rhino horn, meat, and leather has always been very high, resulting in high demand from hunters. This huge animal was probably lost from the country at the beginning of the last century due to the harassment of British and local hunters and deforestation. There are still villages called 'Gandarkhali', 'Gandarmara' etc. in the Sundarbans region, from which one can get an idea about the spread of this animal.
7.Gaur / Banaguru:
Gaur or wild cows lived in the north of Chittagong Hill Tracts and Dhaka division. These ancestors of domesticated cows are huge in size, about six feet tall, and proportionately tall. Wild cows became extinct due to the indiscriminate hunting of people for meat. Most likely, the last Gaur of Bangladesh was hunted in 1971, in the forest of Teknaf. Even after this, from time to time some Gaur from India forgot to enter Bangladesh, but permanent settlements were never established. In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, however, a type of half-baked cow called 'Gayal' is still seen.
8.Wild buffalo:
According to researchers, wild buffalo could be seen in the Sundarbans even in the 1940s. They liked to stay in muddy water. Due to the abundance of wild buffalo in the Sundarbans, some villages have been named Bayardanga, Bayargati, Bayarshinge, etc. (Wild buffalo was called ‘Bayar’). They become extinct due to the spread of all deadly diseases spread by prey and domestic animals.
9.Peacock:
This immaculate bird was once seen in North Bengal and Bhawal Madhupur. But as a result of indiscriminate hunting, they have been lost unknowingly from the nature of Bangladesh. For a long time, researchers thought that some peacocks might still survive in the forest of Bhawal in Dhaka. But later research showed that they became extinct in the 1980s. Another species of the peacock, the Green Peacock or Burmese Peacock, survived in the evergreen forests of the Chittagong Hill Tracts until the 1940s, but later became extinct. Recently, however, the government has taken up a plan to release peacocks imported from India into the Shalban of Madhupur.
10.Hargila:
Although known as the largest bird in Bangladesh, sadly, this bird became extinct in Bangladesh about 30-35 years ago. To look at these giant birds of prey, they have clumsy, featherless necks with huge leather bags hanging around their necks. They were usually seen in the garbage dump. They were mainly hunted for meat. From the early nineties onwards, they were on the verge of extinction due to poaching.
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