Bangladesh

Bangladesh is not a popular destination among foreign tourists, but it has an important variety of wildlife. This includes, for example, a large population of Irrawaddy dolphins, an extremely rare species.

Zoos

The Dhaka Zoo is the best known zoo in the country. It breeds animals in captivity and has sent part of them to the Safari Park Dulahazara.

For more information on the subject: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s29

Marine activities: diving and snorkeling

St Martin's Island is the only coral island in Bangladesh and is an important ecotourism destination. The Bangladesh Marina Paradise is located in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the tip of the Bax peninsula of Cox-Teknaf, and 8 km west of the northwest coast of Myanmar. It is located at the mouth of the Naf River. This island forms the southernmost part of Bangladesh. Among the islanders it is known as Narikel Jinjira (Coconut Island). The southern tip of the island is home to many animals, such as several threatened species of turtles nesting on the island, and many species of fish that inhabit the surrounding waters. St Martin's Island is abundant in corals and some are exclusive to the island itself. The coral reef that surrounds the island has an extension called Chera Dweep. Tourists usually travel to this island to go diving or snorkeling in the Bay of Bengal.

For more information about responsible diving: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s91

Animals on the menu

The Kali Puja is an annual festival celebrated by Hindus who, mostly, live in West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh. The Hindu religion is not linked to the consumption of turtles but somehow, this has become a tradition among Hindus and almost everyone wants to eat turtles on this particular day. Therefore, several hundred thousand turtles are slaughtered each year on the occasion of Kali Puja.

For more information on the topic: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s82

Stray animals

There are large numbers of stray animals in Bangladesh, which often live in very bad conditions. The stray cat and dog populations are controlled by unregulated mass slaughter which usually involves very cruel slaughter methods. If you find these animals, you can help them by giving them some food or water, but avoiding close contact with them in order to avoid contagious illnesses. Before traveling you can find the contacts of local animal protection NGOs to inform them in case you find very ill animals or victims of animal abuse, or in case you want to make a donation.

More information: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s95

Here is a list of local NGOs that can be contacted in case you want to make a donation, a complaint or find an animal that needs help in Bangladesh: