A mother jungle cat and four cubs were beaten to death by some local people on Wednesday in Chudanga Sadar upazila.

The mother with the cubs took shelter inside the kitchen of expatriate Billal Hossain’s house at Dinnathpur village in the upazila recently.

After spotting the jungle cats Billa’s wife Nuri Begum informed her neighbours.

Also read: 5 endangered jungle cat cubs rescued in Kushtia

Local people beath the jungle cats to death and burried them, said Bakhtiar Ahmed, president of Care For Unclaimed Beast, a local voluntary environmentalist organisation.

Mohammad Mohsin, Officer-in-Charge of Chuadanga sadar police station, said no complaint was lodged in this regard.

Zakir Hossain, district forest officer, said, “We were informed of the tragic incident and we are preparing to file a case in this regard after visiting  the spot.”

The photos of the dead jungle cats shared on social media has sparked reactions amog animal lovers, environmentalists and they demand exemplary punishment for the crime, said said Bakhtiar Ahmed, president of Care For Unclaimed Beast.

Also read: Injured rare fishing cat rescued from Cumilla

The jungle cat, also known as reed cat or swamp cat, is native to the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and southern China. Its scientific name is Felis Chaus.

This medium-sized cat usually inhabits wetlands like swamps, and littoral and riparian areas with dense vegetation. However, they have become endangered in Bangladesh due to the reckless destruction of their habitat.

END/UNb/Corr/FA/FH/1806 Hrs