Tigers are an integral part of our culture and heritage. They are our national animal and they represent the indomitable Bengali spirit. Every year, International Tiger Day is observed on July 29 in Tiger Range Countries (TRC) to raise awareness about protecting the endangered big cats. Bangladesh is among the 13 TRC, which include India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, China, Vietnam and Russia. In our country, some youths are now involved in tiger conservation. They are creating awareness and helping people understand the importance of tigers and other wildlife.
WildTeam, an organisation working for biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh since 2003, is implementing USAID-funded Bengal Tiger Conservation (Bagh) Activity in collaboration with the Forest Department. Tiger Scout is a part of the Bagh project, which aims to protect our tigers through outreach programmes, enhancing communications, improving livelihoods and combating illegal wildlife trafficking.
Sinthia Ahmed, 13, is a student of class 9. She attends Sundarban High School in Satkhira, which is near the Sundarban mangrove forests, home of the famed royal Bengal tigers. From a young age, she has developed a passion for saving our tigers. “For the past couple of years, I have been working as a tiger scout. After I became a tiger scout, I would go from village to village and tell people about how we need to save our tigers. Seeing my activities, many other students at my school expressed their interest to work along with me. Today, there are nine members in our team and we believe we are able to make a difference. We inform people that in order to save the tigers, we need to save their habitat first. For example, older people in our area and people who come to visit the forests want to eat venison (deer meat). Killing deer is a crime and it’s bad for the tigers, as they need deer for food, and for the environment,” she told Y&I over the phone.
Echoing her schoolmate, Fayeza Ahmed, 14, said: “My family and I were not that aware about tiger conservation. WildTeam created a Sundarbans education centre in our school and there I read some books which fascinated me and made me want to know more about wildlife in the mangrove forests. After I became a tiger scout, I attended a basic course which taught me about wildlife of the Sundarbans and how we can save our tigers. Every month, we organise a meeting where we discuss how we can motivate more people. We have a number of success stories. For example, one of my neighbours, an elderly man, loved to eat venison and he also cut trees from the forest. I told him he was harming tiger conservation by killing and eating deer meat. I was quite amazed when he said he would not do that anymore. I am very excited about this year’s tiger rally, as I have been told many people would join the programme.”
Redwan Islam, 16, a student of Char Buan High School, always had a soft corner for tigers. He wanted to work to save them. He received that opportunity in 2016 when he became a WildTeam tiger scout. “There are 40 tiger scouts in the four main districts surrounding the Sundarbans. Thirty-eight of the tiger scouts are boys and we have two girl scouts. Our main work is to inform people about saving our tigers and the Sundarbans. In the beginning, there were only five students like me who volunteered to become tiger scouts, today there are 40 of us working on tiger conservation. WildTeam arranged two basic courses for us where we were taught how to motivate people to not kill tigers when the animals stray into villages. We were also taught what to do if we ever come across any tiger in real life. Each of the courses was for three days and one of them was held in Dhaka. A few years back, a tiger was found near our village. It probably came in with the flood water. People didn’t kill it, instead, they informed the local forest office and they came and rescued the tiger. Every Friday, we visit one village where we inform the people about the importance of protecting our tigers.”
M Mahbubul Alam, chief of party, Bengal Tiger Conservation (Bagh) Activity, said over the phone: “We work on different wildlife-related issues. Conducting conservation research, helping to stop wildlife trafficking and providing conservation education to youths are some of our activities. As part of conservation education, we have selected 11 educational institutions that are located near the Sundarbans. In 2016, we started selecting students to become tiger scouts through our Bagh project. We select students who have an interest in saving tigers, who have leadership qualities and want to make a difference. The tiger scouts motivate and inform villagers about conserving our tigers and nature. At the moment, there are 40 tiger scouts and we are planning to increase their number. We have also set up four Sundarbans education centres at four high schools near eight upazilas of the Sundarbans. Every year we organise an annual tiger scout camp, where all our tiger scouts participate. The camp is normally held in winter. By attending this camp, students learn more about tiger conservation and they get the chance to meet new people and enjoy themselves.”
Abu Saeed, 22, is a student at Department of Bengali, Dhaka University. He recently came back from a tour of the Sundarbans, where he worked as a paid volunteer for WildTeam. “I know video-editing and one day, I came across a video of students working to save tigers. I immediately contacted the people I knew at WildTeam and expressed my desire to work in tiger conservation. After facing an interview, I was selected. I worked there as a research assistant for 90 days and every month, I received Taka 25,000 as remuneration. More than the money, I believe the experience I got working to save our tigers cannot be compared to anything. It was simply an amazing experience. We got to see nature up close and the experience will stay with me for the rest of my life. I didn’t have any problem regarding my classes as I had informed my teacher before going there. I would certainly love to work in tiger conservation again,” he said.
Safia Akter, 25, recently completed her post-graduation from Jagannath University in Dhaka. She also worked as a paid volunteer for WildTeam. Sharing her experience, she said: “Working in tiger conservation was really something special. I am a student of zoology and we know there are only a handful of organisations that are working with tigers. I worked as a research assistant. My job was to count tiger tracks and keep an eye on the vegetation in the area where we were conducting the survey. I hope there will be more activities like this in the coming years so youths can get involved in tiger conservation. In order to save our tigers, we need to engage our youths in spreading awareness.”
According to official data, the number of tigers in Bangladesh is 106 at the moment. “From November 2013 to April 2015, Bangladesh Forest Department, with the help of Wildlife Institute of India, conducted a tiger survey. That survey shows there are 106 tigers in the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans. Since then, there has been no official report on the number of tigers in Bangladesh,” said Monirul Khan, a tiger expert and associate professor of zoology at Jahangirnagar University (JU).
Regarding the latest status of our tigers, M Jahidul Kabir, Conservator of Forest, Wildlife and Nature Conservation Cycle, informed Y&I that the environment and forest ministry is working on a new report and it is expected to be published by December this year.
Tiger experts, meanwhile, believe we need to have more experts in the field to help with conservation. The best way to create more experts is to create more awareness and motivate the young. Anwarul Islam, chief executive of WildTeam and chairman of Dhaka University’s Zoology department, told Y&I: “Primarily, we need to inspire the youth. A student from any background can become a tiger expert. It is not that only conservation biologists can become tiger experts. For example, those who are studying statistics can work in computer simulation of tiger tracking. The idea is to involve everyone, especially the youths as they are the future.”
Monirul Khan, the JU teacher, also believes we need to inform our children to increase awareness about tiger conservation. “I have not come across any school textbook which directly talks about tiger conservation. International Tiger Day used to be celebrated only in the capital, but I believe it would be helpful to celebrate the day at different locations every year. Organising such a day in different areas will ensure that everyone becomes aware of the issue,” he said.
M Salauddin, a teacher of Sundarban High School, told this reporter over the phone: “In 2016, WildTeam informed us that they would like to work with our students regarding tiger conservation. I can personally say that today, people who are living near the Sundarbans know more about tiger and wildlife conservation than ever before. My own daughter, who is in class 9, is a tiger scout. I always encourage her to volunteer with such projects. I support her because I know such an activity will help her to improve in a number of ways. Her communication skills and contact with different people of the society have improved through this. I also feel proud that people talk to me about her in a positive way because she is working to save our tigers.”
Syeda Surma, a parent of a tiger scout, added: “When my son first wanted to become a tiger scout, I didn’t encourage him. I was afraid they might ask him to go into the forest, which was never the case. Gradually, when my son started to visit different villages, I realised what a good deed my son is doing. I came to Satkhira district after I got married some 15 years ago. Back then, everyone who lived here used to eat venison. Now, the demand for deer meat has decreased, especially in the past couple of years, among the local people. This has been possible because today people know killing deer means tigers will get nothing to eat, and thus, they will be forced to venture into human territory for food.”
To celebrate this year’s Tiger Day, Bangladesh Forest Department is going to organise three rallies _ in Satkhira, Bagerhat and Khulna, said Jahidul Kabir. “One of the rallies will start from Shahid Hadis Park and stop at Khulna Officers Club. After the rally, a discussion on creating awareness on conserving tigers will take place. There will be tiger experts present at the event. We are also organising a photography exhibition on tigers. We are hopeful that many students, parents and teachers will join us,” the conservator of forest and wildlife added.
Photos: Courtesy, File.