By Staff Correspondent, Khulna; – The authorities have slapped a ban on entry into Sundarbans for three months to ensure safe breeding and movement of wild animals in the world-largest mangrove forest, officials said.
Movement of all types of boats, fishing trawlers and other vessels carrying foreign or local tourists, honey collectors in or fishermen fish in the canals and river system of the forest were banned from Saturday.
The ban will remain effective until August 31, a forest official said.
According to the Forest Department, 251 species of fish release eggs during monsoon season. Forest officials said the ban will also help safe breeding of 315 species of birds, 35 species of reptiles and 42 types of mammals.
The mangrove forest was devastated by the tropical cyclone earlier this week leaving many wild animals killed and trees uprooted.
The forest department recovered the carcasses of 127 deer and four wild boar from different parts of the Sundarbans in the aftermath of the super cyclone ‘Remal’.
Mihir Kumar Doe, conservator of the Forest, said the storm that lashed the area with wind speed up to 120 kilometers per hour also damaged infrastructure inside the forest.
Most of the 80 fresh water ponds in the forest were inundated by the tidal surge during the cyclone, he said.
