63 horseshoe crabs recovered in Ctg, 58 found dead amid blood-harvesting allegations

The Wildlife and Nature Conservation Department recovered 63 horseshoe crabs, a rare and legally protected species, from beneath a footbridge near Sholoshahar Railway Station in Chattogram today (26 June), with 58 of the animals found dead.

The crabs were allegedly being harvested for their blue blood, which was being sold under the pretext of producing pain-relief medicine.

Jasim Uddin Chowdhury, president of Save the Nature, a voluntary organisation working on environmental and wildlife conservation, said they spotted the activity this afternoon and alerted the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Department and the district administration. Officials subsequently visited the site and recovered the crabs.

Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Officer Dipanwita Bhattacharya told The Business Standard that two men detained during the operation admitted to collecting the crabs from various coastal areas of Chattogram and harvesting their blue blood for use in medicine production.

She said horseshoe crabs are listed under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, making their capture, possession, transport and display illegal.

However, as no executive magistrate was present during the operation and the accused claimed they were unaware of the law, they were released after providing written undertakings in the presence of police, she added.

The five surviving crabs were released into the sea at Patenga beach, while the dead ones will be buried in an environmentally appropriate manner, she further said.

Wildlife conservationists said horseshoe crabs play a vital role in maintaining marine biodiversity and warned that indiscriminate harvesting and blood extraction could threaten the species' survival. They called for stricter enforcement of wildlife protection laws and greater public awareness.