BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has said the cat often seen in his photos on social media belongs to his daughter.

“First of all, to be clear, the cat is my daughter’s. But now it has become everyone’s cat — we all love and care for it,” he said when his attention was drawn over his interest in animal welfare during an interview with BBC Bangla.

Recalling his early years, Tarique said he and his brother grew up surrounded by animals at home.

He said when he was a child they had a small dog and his mother also raised ducks, chickens and even goats.

“We also kept pigeons and a variety of birds in a large cage at home. We even had a Myna bird we brought from Barishal — it used to talk in the local dialect,” he said.

He said his attachment to animals and nature developed naturally from that childhood. “This didn’t happen suddenly. My family and I have always been close to animals and birds — perhaps it’s just more visible now,” Tarique added.

From a religious point of view, Allah has made humans the best of His creations and it is people’s duty to take care of all other creations, he said, adding, “If nature doesn’t exist, we can’t survive. The balance of nature is essential.”

He said Bangladesh currently has only about 12 percent forest coverage, far below the ideal 25 percent required to maintain ecological balance. “That’s very dangerous. We’re working on how to increase greenery.”

|”If we fail to preserve nature, human life itself will become difficult. For our own sake, these efforts are necessary,” Tarique said.