Locals trapped an endangered fishing-cat in Majpara Mandalpara village of Majpara union under Atghoria upazila of Pabna on Thursday morning.
However, the cat mysteriously went missing from the custody of Atghoria Upazila Parishad (UP) Chairman Tanvir Islam, after he took the responsibility of delivering the cat to the local forest department.
Shaheen Mandal, a local, said he along with other locals carefully trapped the fishing cat from a local bamboo orchard, placed it inside an old cage and were preparing to deliver it to the local forest department.
Shortly after the news spread, Atghoria UP Chairman Tanvir Islam arrived at the scene and took it upon himself to deliver the cat to the forest department, he added.
However, the animal was reported missing shortly after the upazila chairman took it away from the spot.
Regarding the matter, Tanvir Islam could not be reached for comment.
Pabna Divisional Forest Officer (Social Forestry) Mahbubur Rahman said he had heard that the animal reportedly escaped on its way here.
Asked about the mysterious disappearance of the cat, he said: “The incident will be investigated.”
Meanwhile, to confirm the identity, the Dhaka Tribune sent a picture of the animal to the Bangladesh Forest Department's Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Officer Zohra Mila.
She identified the animal as a fishing-cat and said: “The International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the cat as an endangered species in 2006 and it is also protected under the Wildlife Act 2012. So, killing or harming this animal is a punishable offence.”