Wildlife officials in West Bengal are on high alert as they monitor a potentially catastrophic oil spill on the Bangladesh side of the Sundarbans. The slick, caused by an accident involving an oil tanker, has covered more than 40 sq km of the Shela river and channels within the mangrove forests and has started killing fish and crabs in these waters.

If not contained the spill can kill mangrove seeds and crabs through the forest, the effects of which would spiral up the food chain to the iconic Bengal tiger and endangered Irrawady dolphin. As it is, the dolphins are threatened simply by having to swim in the contaminated water. Indian officials are watching closely to see if the oil spill will cross into the country through the many contiguous rivers between India and Bangladesh, a phenomenon that would threaten Olive Ridley turtles, migratory birds, otters and crocodiles near the Sundarbans.

Rubaiyat Mansur of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Bangladesh shared these photos of the damage from near the accident with Scroll.


The offending oil tanker that emptied about 200,000 litres of oil into the water.



An oil-covered plant washing up on the river bank.



The six-hour estuary tide pushed oil upstream through small channels deeper into the mangrove forest.