Dogs are generally not treated well in Bangladesh, where the majority Muslim population holds a conservative approach to domesticating dogs. Here, kicking a resting or passing stray dog is often seen as amusing. This hostile attitude, for decades, justified the authorities culling stray dogs. In 2019, the passing of the Animal Welfare Act finally put a stop to such institutional killing of dogs. Nevertheless, a deeply entrenched negative prejudice against dogs still persists. For instance, last year, a woman in the northwestern town of Ishwardi, who was disturbed by the neighborhood stray dogs, made the news by allegedly packing puppies in a sack and drowning them in a pond. The resulting public outcry forced authorities to file a criminal lawsuit against her. Bangladesh is home to nearly 1.7 million dogs — 83% of them strays, which suffer from hunger, malnutrition, injury, or cruelty by humans. Consequently, a group of animal lovers has emerged to put a stop to inhumane treatment of stray animals, advocating for their protection. Unlike other parts of the country, the people in the small town of Sarail, located about 95 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of the capital, Dhaka, have strived for generations to save a native dog breed named after the town: the Sarail hound. Proud of this heritage, some people in and around Sarail are trying to save this rare breed from extinction. Pet lovers, some from abroad, travel to Sarail in search of a puppy, ready to pay up to 60,000 takas ($500), according…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Hornbills are being targeted during their breeding season in Bangladesh, with rescue records over the last several years showing a concentration of cases between May and August, when the forest dwellers are nesting, breeding and raising chicks. Analyzing rescue data from the Forest Department and Bangladesh Police, Mongabay found at least 26 birds, including 14 great hornbills (Buceros bicornis) and 12 oriental pied hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris), were rescued in 12 separate cases between May and August from 2023 to 2026. (The reporter collected the data manually; hence we have no links) Eight of these cases were recorded in the southeastern part of the country, where hornbill habitats are located. A 2018 Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Bangladesh report also found that hornbills were collected in the Chattogram Hill Tracts during the nesting season. According to a 2021 study published in Scientific Reports, this species’ breeding season runs from March to mid-August. “The risk to hornbills during this period is closely tied to their unique breeding behavior. The female seals herself inside a tree cavity with mud or vegetation and cannot leave the nest during the breeding period. The male stays outside and repeatedly brings food to the female, and later to the chicks, inside the cavity. This makes the nest easier for hunters to trace, while reaching the cavity gives them access to both the female and the chicks,” said hornbill researcher Humayra Mahmud, an assistant professor of zoology at Noakhali Science and Technology University. A male oriental pied hornbill at…This article was originally published on Mongabay

For 34-year-old Saiful Gazi — a resident of Ramjannagar Union in Shyamnagar, Satkhira, an area highly vulnerable to climate change — securing institutional financing is a major struggle. Gazi, who supports a family of four, endured the devastating Cyclone Aila on May 25, 2009. Cyclone Aila claimed 190 lives and affected approximately 3.9 million people in Bangladesh. Despite living in a disaster-prone region, he ventured into the fish business in 2022. Although he recently applied for a loan from a private bank to expand his operations, his application was rejected due to a lack of collateral and the necessary documentation. He was compelled to take out a high-interest loan from a local NGO to keep his business running. Across Bangladesh, some of the regions most exposed to cyclones, floods, salinity and river erosion continue to receive only a small share of the country’s bank credit, raising questions about whether formal financing is reaching communities that need it in order to adapt to a changing climate. In Bangladesh, there are eight divisions named after the major regional cities: Barishal, Chattogram, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Mymensingh and Sylhet. These divisions are the highest administrative unit in the country. Bangladesh Bank data show that lending remains heavily concentrated in Dhaka and Chattogram divisions, the country’s main commercial and industrial centers. Together, the two divisions accounted for about three-quarters of total bank loans and advances in the April-June quarter of 2026. The concentration is particularly striking in climate-vulnerable areas. Barishal, Khulna, Sylhet and Mymensingh…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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 a statement, denying the allegations while assuring cooperation in sharing the DNA profile of the ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) currently in its custody with Bangladesh authorities. However, the Bangladesh Forest Department was unprepared to respond to the call immediately, as it had no prior DNA profiling record of the lemurs stolen from Gazipur. Sufi Ullah, special superintendent of police under the Criminal Investigation Department of Bangladesh Police, the investigation agency, told Mongabay on Sept. 13, “Even though Bangladesh court orders further probe following the availability of the DNA profile, cross-border investigation is impossible.” Forest Department officials said that tracing the last destination is challenging and bringing the lemurs back is uncertain, as there is no repatriation protocol under the existing mutual understanding between Bangladesh and India. Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, director at Bangladesh Forest Department’s Wildlife Crime Control Unit (WCCU), said, “Further investigation and repatriation [of the lemurs] may follow only if the governments of the two countries agree to do so.” Meanwhile, South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network Secretary General Krishna Prasad Acharya, in an email to Mongabay, said that the exchange of information can assist the concerned countries in verifying available information, coordinating follow-up, and…This article was originally published on Mongabay