(BSS) - Forest officials today rescued and released a live deer that had been caught in a trap in the Charaputia area of the Sundarbans.

A forest team conducted a trap-removal drive in the area, during which the trapped deer was spotted. The team immediately rescued the animal and released it safely, sources said.

According to officials, forest guards are conducting risky foot patrols in their respective jurisdictions to prevent deer poaching in the Sundarbans. Over the last few days, more than 67 steel traps were removed from the forests under the Ghagramari range of the Sundarbans.

East Sundarbans Divisional Forest Officer Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury told BSS that such a massive and challenging trap-removal operation had never been carried out before in the history of the Sundarbans. He said forest workers are continuing the operation by venturing deep into the forest at great risk to their lives.