Dhaka, Dec. 8 -- The government has taken up a special initiative to manage the dog population on St. Martin's Island as part of a broader effort to protect the island's fragile environment and biodiversity, particularly its endangered marine turtles.

St. Martin's is the only coral island in Bangladesh, situated in the northeast part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula. Known for its natural beauty, including coral reefs, clear waters, and rich marine life, the island, also rich in diverse flora and fauna, is home to about 7,000 stray dogs.

Tourists in St. Martin are often terrified of the large population of stray and sometimes aggressive dogs that roam around the beach and local areas.

On the ot...