Saving Our Tigers

Who doesn’t feel scared, and excited, seeing a tiger? This magnificent carnivorous animal is a symbol of strength and courage in many societies. More than half of all tigers in the world are Bengal tigers. With their black striped orange or yellow coats and thunderous roars, they are our national animal, our pride. Tigers are an integral part of our culture and folklore. From the tiger sketches popular with traditional ‘patua’ artists, to the logo of our national cricket team, the ‘Royal’ Bengal tiger is virtually everywhere. But in reality, their numbers in the wild are dwindling drastically.

Tigers (Panthera tigris) are not only threatened in Bangladesh, but they are endangered throughout the world, mostly due loss of their natural habitats and poaching. There are 13 countries that still have tigers in the wild. The countries _ Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, China, Vietnam and Russia _ are called Tiger Range Countries (TRC). The leaders of TRC met at a summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 2010 and pledged to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2020. They also decided to celebrate Global Tiger Day on July 29 every year to raise awareness about conservation of the big cats. But seven years on, have we succeeded in increasing the number of tigers the world over, particularly in Bangladesh?

To find the answer, The Weekend Independent talked to officials of the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD), tiger experts, as well as some conservation agencies this week.

About the latest status of Bengal tigers, Tapan Kumar Dey, former deputy chief conservator of BFD and general secretary of Zoological Society of Bangladesh (ZSB), said: “Our forest department, with the help of Wildlife Institute of India, started surveying tigers using camera trapping (from November 2013 to April 2015). We found an average of 106 tigers in the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans. There is no regular survey of tigers in the Sundarbans. It depends on funding and initiatives of the related authorities.”

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there are six species of tigers and all of them are in danger of disappearing from the wild. From 100,000 in 1900, the number of tigers dropped to 3,200 in 2010. But the good news is their numbers increased slightly to 3,890 in 2016, according to WWF estimates. But a World Bank-funded Global Tiger Initiative report the same year found tiger numbers to be approximately 4 ,664, a ZSB newsletter said.

As for Bengal tigers, there are more than 2,500 left in the wild, mainly in India where 2,226 live across the country. In the 2015 tiger census, which used hidden camera footage to get more accurate figures, about 170 tigers were found in the Sundarbans, 106 of them on the Bangladesh side. In a previous survey in 2004, which was done using the less accurate pugmark counting method, there were 440 tigers in Bangladesh and 350 in India. There are some 333 Bengal tigers in captivity across the world.

Tiger experts always give utmost importance to protecting tigers from poaching. “Poaching is the worst enemy of tiger conservation. Probably, all pirate gangs in the Sundarbans (mangrove forests) are involved in it,” Fazlul Hoque, professor of forestry and wood technology at Khulna University, told this correspondent over telephone.

Anwarul Islam, chairman of Dhaka University’s zoology department and chief executive of WildTeam, said: “When we started in 2003, the Sundarbans was not as safe as today for both people and tigers. Panicked villagers used to kill a tiger if it strayed into their locality. But thanks to our Village Tiger Response Teams, no stray tigers have been killed in the past three years. Led by the forest department and with support from USAID and Panthera, we introduced SMART (spatial monitoring and reporting tool) patrolling in the Sundarbans for the first time in 2015 to fight wildlife crimes. Our work is guided by sophisticated equipment and our conservation efforts engage the communities to bring lasting impact on tiger conservation. On the occasion of Global Tiger Day, we have never been more hopeful about the future of tigers in Bangladesh.” The day will be observed this Saturday with rallies, seminars and cultural programmes with the slogan ‘bagh amader gorbo; bagh rokhya korbo’ (tiger is our pride; we will save tiger).

 In the present world, the rights of wild animals are being violated everywhere. Poaching for skin, meat, bones, teeth or organs is driving many animal species to extinction. For the conservation and management of biodiversity, forests and wildlife of our country, the government enacted the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act in 2012 with tougher penalties for poaching of wild animals. Under the law, if any person sells or acquires any trophy or parts of a tiger or an elephant, they will face imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of Taka 300,000, or both. In case of repeated offence, the punishment will be up to five years in jail or a fine of Tk 500,000, or both.

The ‘Royal’ Bengal is the most numerous tiger subspecies, says WWF. It is found primarily in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. The Sundarbans, over 10,000 sq km of mangrove forests sprawling between Bangladesh and India, are the natural habitat of Bengal tigers. But the forests are increasingly being threatened by sea-level rise due to climate change, deforestation, poaching of animals and human encroachment.

“Scarcity of food contributes to reducing the number of tigers in the Sundarbans. Another main threat to the tiger population is rampant poaching in the forest,” said Anwarul Islam of WildTeam, a conservation organisation.

Echoing Islam, Monirul Khan, another tiger expert and associate professor of zoology department at Jahangirnagar University, said “The biggest threat to tigers in the Sundarbans is depletion of prey due to poaching. Eighty percent of a tiger’s diet comprises of only one species _ the spotted deer. Hence, the future of our tigers depends on the status of deer. Deer poaching is common in the Sundarbans because it is relatively easy to hunt (using snares) and there is a good demand of deer meat in the locality.”

“Poaching of the tigers themselves is rare because it is difficult to locate and catch one over the vast and inaccessible tracts of the Sundarbans. However, on an average, three tigers are killed every year by poachers or angry villagers. Stray tigers often venture into villages around the Sundarbans and occasionally, they get killed by people. It is true that some of these stray tigers start killing cattle, but it has become a bad trend to kill a tiger on sight whenever it is found in a village, whether or not it attacked any cattle or people,” he continued.  

“Stray tigers, however, do not normally turn into man-eaters. The man-eaters live deep in the forest and kill people who go inside the Sundarbans for fishing, cutting wood or collecting honey. As many as 50 people are killed every year in tiger attacks. The rate is the highest among all the tiger range countries. The tiger is legally protected under the Wildlife Act of Bangladesh, and the use and export of tiger parts is banned under the provisions of the Conservation on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),” Khan added.

The government has provision to compensate victims of tiger attacks _ a seriously injured person gets Tk 50,000, while Tk 100,000 is given to the family of a dead victim.

About saving our Royal Bengal tigers for future generations, Milton Kumar Das, a student of zoology at Dhaka University, said: “We know many factors, including climate change, random hunting, loss of habitat, disruption in food chains and trading in body parts, contribute to reducing the number of tigers in our Sundarbans. The main animals Bengal tigers like to hunt for food are deer, monkeys, wild pigs, and others mammals. We must take urgent steps to increase their numbers so that our tigers can survive.”  

“I think it is high time for the government to form an anti-poaching unit, with police and army personnel, and monitor the Sundarbans on a regular basis for ensuring protection of the Bengal tiger and other species from extinction,” Das added.

The environment and forest ministry monitors conservation activities in the Sundarbans. When asked about the latest status of our tigers, Mohi Uddin, joint secretary of MoEF said they would publish a report soon.

Tigers are a flagship species of the Sundarbans, a world heritage site. So, saving the tiger means protecting the eco-system of the mangrove forests. For that, we must keep their habitat safe, ensure their food supply, and teach people to stop fearing them. n

Photos: Courtesy, internet.

Edited by Parveen Ahmed.

Saving Our Tigers

Who doesnt feel scared, and excited, seeing a tiger? This magnificent carnivorous animal is a symbol of strength and courage in many societies. More than half of all tigers in the world are Bengal tigers. With their black striped orange or yellow coats and thunderous roars, they are our national animal, our pride. Tigers are an integral part of our culture and folklore. From the tiger sketches popular with traditional patua artists, to the logo of our national cricket team, the Royal Bengal tiger is virtually everywhere. But in reality, their numbers in the wild are dwindling drastically. Tigers (Panthera tigris) are not only threatened in Bangladesh, but they are endangered throughout the world, mostly due loss of their natural habitats and poaching. There are 13 countries that still have tigers in the wild. The countries _ Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, China, Vietnam and Russia _ are called Tiger Range Countries (TRC). The leaders of TRC met at a summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 2010 and pledged to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2020. They also decided to celebrate Global Tiger Day on July 29 every year to raise awareness about conservation of the big cats. But seven years on, have we succeeded in increasing the number of tigers the world over, particularly in Bangladesh? To find the answer, The Weekend Independent talked to officials of the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD), tiger experts, as well as some conservation agencies this week. About the latest status of Bengal tigers, Tapan Kumar Dey, former deputy chief conservator of BFD and general secretary of Zoological Society of Bangladesh (ZSB), said: Our forest department, with the help of Wildlife Institute of India, started surveying tigers using camera trapping (from November 2013 to April 2015). We found an average of 106 tigers in the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans. There is no regular survey of tigers in the Sundarbans. It depends on funding and initiatives of the related authorities. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there are six species of tigers and all of them are in danger of disappearing from the wild. From 100,000 in 1900, the number of tigers dropped to 3,200 in 2010. But the good news is their numbers increased slightly to 3,890 in 2016, according to WWF estimates. But a World Bank-funded Global Tiger Initiative report the same year found tiger numbers to be approximately 4 ,664, a ZSB newsletter said. As for Bengal tigers, there are more than 2,500 left in the wild, mainly in India where 2,226 live across the country. In the 2015 tiger census, which used hidden camera footage to get more accurate figures, about 170 tigers were found in the Sundarbans, 106 of them on the Bangladesh side. In a previous survey in 2004, which was done using the less accurate pugmark counting method, there were 440 tigers in Bangladesh and 350 in India. There are some 333 Bengal tigers in captivity across the world. Tiger experts always give utmost importance to protecting tigers from poaching. Poaching is the worst enemy of tiger conservation. Probably, all pirate gangs in the Sundarbans (mangrove forests) are involved in it, Fazlul Hoque, professor of forestry and wood technology at Khulna University, told this correspondent over telephone. Anwarul Islam, chairman of Dhaka Universitys zoology department and chief executive of WildTeam, said: When we started in 2003, the Sundarbans was not as safe as today for both people and tigers. Panicked villagers used to kill a tiger if it strayed into their locality. But thanks to our Village Tiger Response Teams, no stray tigers have been killed in the past three years. Led by the forest department and with support from USAID and Panthera, we introduced SMART (spatial monitoring and reporting tool) patrolling in the Sundarbans for the first time in 2015 to fight wildlife crimes. Our work is guided by sophisticated equipment and our conservation efforts engage the communities to bring lasting impact on tiger conservation. On the occasion of Global Tiger Day, we have never been more hopeful about the future of tigers in Bangladesh. The day will be observed this Saturday with rallies, seminars and cultural programmes with the slogan bagh amader gorbo; bagh rokhya korbo (tiger is our pride; we will save tiger). In the present world, the rights of wild animals are being violated everywhere. Poaching for skin, meat, bones, teeth or organs is driving many animal species to extinction. For the conservation and management of biodiversity, forests and wildlife of our country, the government enacted the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act in 2012 with tougher penalties for poaching of wild animals. Under the law, if any person sells or acquires any trophy or parts of a tiger or an elephant, they will face imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of Taka 300,000, or both. In case of repeated offence, the punishment will be up to five years in jail or a fine of Tk 500,000, or both. The Royal Bengal is the most numerous tiger subspecies, says WWF. It is found primarily in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. The Sundarbans, over 10,000 sq km of mangrove forests sprawling between Bangladesh and India, are the natural habitat of Bengal tigers. But the forests are increasingly being threatened by sea-level rise due to climate change, deforestation, poaching of animals and human encroachment. Scarcity of food contributes to reducing the number of tigers in the Sundarbans. Another main threat to the tiger population is rampant poaching in the forest, said Anwarul Islam of WildTeam, a conservation organisation. Echoing Islam, Monirul Khan, another tiger expert and associate professor of zoology department at Jahangirnagar University, said The biggest threat to tigers in the Sundarbans is depletion of prey due to poaching. Eighty percent of a tigers diet comprises of only one species _ the spotted deer. Hence, the future of our tigers depends on the status of deer. Deer poaching is common in the Sundarbans because it is relatively easy to hunt (using snares) and there is a good demand of deer meat in the locality. Poaching of the tigers themselves is rare because it is difficult to locate and catch one over the vast and inaccessible tracts of the Sundarbans. However, on an average, three tigers are killed every year by poachers or angry villagers. Stray tigers often venture into villages around the Sundarbans and occasionally, they get killed by people. It is true that some of these stray tigers start killing cattle, but it has become a bad trend to kill a tiger on sight whenever it is found in a village, whether or not it attacked any cattle or people, he continued. Stray tigers, however, do not normally turn into man-eaters. The man-eaters live deep in the forest and kill people who go inside the Sundarbans for fishing, cutting wood or collecting honey. As many as 50 people are killed every year in tiger attacks. The rate is the highest among all the tiger range countries. The tiger is legally protected under the Wildlife Act of Bangladesh, and the use and export of tiger parts is banned under the provisions of the Conservation on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Khan added. The government has provision to compensate victims of tiger attacks _ a seriously injured person gets Tk 50,000, while Tk 100,000 is given to the family of a dead victim. About saving our Royal Bengal tigers for future generations, Milton Kumar Das, a student of zoology at Dhaka University, said: We know many factors, including climate change, random hunting, loss of habitat, disruption in food chains and trading in body parts, contribute to reducing the number of tigers in our Sundarbans. The main animals Bengal tigers like to hunt for food are deer, monkeys, wild pigs, and others mammals. We must take urgent steps to increase their numbers so that our tigers can survive. I think it is high time for the government to form an anti-poaching unit, with police and army personnel, and monitor the Sundarbans on a regular basis for ensuring protection of the Bengal tiger and other species from extinction, Das added. The environment and forest ministry monitors conservation activities in the Sundarbans. When asked about the latest status of our tigers, Mohi Uddin, joint secretary of MoEF said they would publish a report soon. Tigers are a flagship species of the Sundarbans, a world heritage site. So, saving the tiger means protecting the eco-system of the mangrove forests. For that, we must keep their habitat safe, ensure their food supply, and teach people to stop fearing them. n Photos: Courtesy, internet. Edited by Parveen Ahmed.