An Asian palm civet, locally known as "gandhagakul," rescued from near Jahangirnagar University’s Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall has died. 

Zoology Department Prof Md Kamrul Hasan late on Thursday night told Dhaka Tribune the civet died earlier in the afternoon while under observation at the university's Wildlife Rescue Centre (WRC).

"The way the civet was wandering erratically around on campus, drooling from its mouth, it seemed to be suffering from rabies or canine distemper. After rescuing the civet on Monday, we contacted the Forest Department. Based on the symptoms, they also suspected that the civet was most likely infected with rabies or canine distemper, both viral diseases, and advised us to keep it under observation and separated from other animals."

"We learned that it was spotted on campus on Sunday. At the time, the animal's condition was critical. So after rescuing it, we isolated the civet to prevent the virus from spreading to other animals and to ensure its treatment," he added.

JU students saw the civet roaming around the campus and shared videos on social media. The videos went viral and sparked comments and allegations of various development activities undertaken by the university administration destroying wildlife habitats.