Barishal – Four people have been sued in Barishal for the recent killing of seven jackals, an endangered species, after a video of the incident went viral on social media, officials said on Sunday.
Officials at the Department of Forest and Environment said the incident took place in the Moydankhola area under Ward No. 26 of the city, where a group of people allegedly killed the jackals and slaughtered them.
A video of the incident surfaced on social media about a week ago, showing a man inviting local residents to collect meat from the slaughtered jackals.
Local residents said the killings took place on July 2 but came to public attention on July 8. They claimed the video was later removed from social media after it triggered widespread criticism.
Masum Mostafa Kawsar, Court Liaison Officer at the Barishal Divisional Forest Office, said the case was filed on Sunday before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court.
Divisional Forest Officer Rafiqul Islam said the case was filed under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012.
“We came to know about the incident through media reports and then launched an investigation into it. Based on the findings, we decided to file the case,” Islam said.
Range Officer Arifur Rahman said four people were accused in the case. They are Nurul Islam, 33, Mohammad Haris, 36, Kamal Khalifa, 32, and Mohammad Jamal Khalifa, 32—all residents of Ward No. 26 in Barishal city, according to the case statement.
The complaint alleges that the accused beat and hacked the protected wild animals to death.
“The jackals were beaten and hacked to death by local people. However, we have not yet confirmed whether the meat was consumed. That will be determined during the investigation,” he said.
Under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012, jackals are protected wild animals, and killing, consuming, or selling their meat is a punishable offence.
The viral video showed five dead jackals lying on the ground while the skins of two others were being removed. A man holding a stick was heard saying that the jackals had been killed because they preyed on ducks, chickens, and goats, and invited anyone interested to come to Moydankhola to collect the meat.
A local resident, requesting anonymity, said the jackals had been attacking poultry in the area for a long time.
