Officials of Forrest Department in Madaripur rescued a civet, locally known as ‘Gondhogokul,’ on Wednesday afternoon. The civet was captured in rat trap on Tuesday night. Later, the Forest Department rescued the civet the next day.
It was learnt that, a local farmer named Monir Talukdar captured the civet on Tuesday at around 10:00pm in Pakdi area under ward no. 7 in Madaripur municipality. Following the report that the animal was emitting a strong fragrance, people of all ages gathered to see the civet.
This rare animal was caught in a rat trap. It was later housed in a larger cage. Some people refer to it as Tal Khatas, others as Bhodor, and still others as Sairal. Its natural habitat is primarily in forests and old tree-covered areas.
The civet emits an aroma similar to that of polao rice, which is why it is called ‘Gondhogokul.’Although it is quite popular on YouTube and Facebook, the number of civets is declining due to the loss of vegetation. Upon receiving news of the captured animal, forest department officials visited the site on Wednesday afternoon to rescue the animal. They mentioned plans to release it either in a zoo or in Khulna forest area.
Local resident Md Faruk Mia said We have never seen this rare animal before, so we came to take a look. Later, I searched for it on YouTube and found out that it is known as a ‘Gondhogokul.’
The farmer who rescued the rare animal, Monir Talukdar, said it was seen in the Pakdi area about 8 to 10 days ago. The animal was also noticed wandering in nearby gardens. After various attempts, the civet was captured in a rat trap and later handed over to the forest department officials.
Mohammad Humayun Kabir, a gardener at the Social Forestry Department office in Madaripur, said once, civets were commonly seen, but now they are rarely spotted. Monir Talukdar has rescued this one. The animal is currently being taken to the Madaripur office, and later it will be discussed with senior officials to determine whether it will be released in a zoo or in the Khulna forest area.
