Endangered capped leaf monkey dies after being hit on Sreemangal road
A CNG driver tried to save the injured endangered monkey, but it later died at a veterinary hospital.
An endangered capped leaf monkey died after being hit by a vehicle while crossing the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway in Moulvibazar's Sreemangal Upazila this afternoon (11 September).
The accident occurred around 4:30pm near the No 6 Bridge area, confirmed Tajul Islam, a junior wildlife scout at the range office and said an autopsy would be conducted.
"The specific cause of death will be known after the autopsy report is received," he said.
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The monkey will then be buried in accordance with Forest Department rules, he added.
CNG-run three-wheeler driver Akhil Malakar found the injured monkey lying by the roadside after the incident. He immediately went over, gave the monkey water, and tried to save it.
He later informed the Bangladesh Wildlife Service Foundation. On receiving the news, the foundation's director, Swapan Deb Sajal, and environmentalist Rajdeep Deb Dip rushed to the spot and rescued the injured monkey.
They took the injured monkey to the upazila livestock office and veterinary hospital, where an on-duty veterinarian examined the monkey and pronounced the animal dead.
Later, the dead monkey was handed over to the Sreemangal range office of the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Division.
Tajul said the capped leaf monkey is currently an endangered wild animal in Bangladesh and is listed on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The species is already under threat due to shrinking forest areas and human interference, and incidents like this are raising further concern, he added.
He also said that Lawachara National Park is one of the species' important habitats among the country's remaining evergreen forests.
