Around 65 students from classes III, IV and V of Halla Govt Primary School took part in the competition organised as part of the ‘Fishing Cat Research Project in Hakaluki Haor’ funded by the Toyota Foundation in collaboration with Jahangirnagar University teacher Prof Dr MA Aziz.
The school is situated just by a place called “Pakhi Bari” which is the home to thousands of birds.
Research assistants of the project Meherun Niger Sultana and Anwar Palash together with headmaster Bishnu Pada Chakraborty and other teachers of the school organised the event with the help of Sultan Ahmed, Sakib Bin Anwar and Ismail Hossain, said a press release.
Some of the drawings by students indicate confusion between a fishing cat and a tiger.
"This is common perception in Hakaluki Haor, but fishing cat is not tiger. Biologically, they’re closer to leopard cat than tiger. Strong fear towards fishing cat accelerates killing of this species. Fishing cat may play an important role in controlling rat population. Forcing extinction of those carnivores is not wise for people and their livelihood in the Hakaluki Haor," said leading researcher Dr Ai Suzuki.