No progress to increase tiger population

The Tiger Range Countries, including India, Nepal and Bhutan, have seen tremendous success in increasing the number of tigers in their country after the tiger summit in Russia in 2010. However, Bangladesh, among the 13 Tiger Range Countries, has made little or no progress in this regard as no steps have been taken to increase the tiger population.

These 13 countries had decided to conduct a tigers census every two years on the summit in 2010. Most of the countries that participated in the summit conducted surveys on different occasions while Bangladesh has made only two since the summit.

Different steps to increase the tiger population have worked for counties like India, Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand. The statices provided by the Tiger Range Countries summit in Delhi in 2019 stated a huge development in these countries.

According to the data issued by the Delhi summit in 2019, the number of tigers in India has increased to 2,226 from 1,500, tigers in Nepal have increased to 198 from 100, Bhutan made it 103 from 50 and the number of tigers in Thailand has reached to 189 from 90.

In the meantime, the tiger population in Bangladesh is yet to be known as there have been no surveys since 2018. The last census of 2018 says that Sundarbans has 114 tigers.

With such a vulnerable condition in the country’s tiger population, Bangladesh is ready to observe International Tiger Day on July 29.

Experts said there is uncertainty about the exact number of tigers in the country as different methods have been applied for the surveys in 2015 and 2018. Bangladesh should take some scientific methods for the upcoming census to make it more productive. Efforts should be made to conduct a survey of the whole Sundarbans to get the exact number of tigers.

In this regard, Mollah Rezaul Karim, conservator of forest, said, “The Department of Forest are planning to conduct a scientific survey of the whole Sundarbans.”

Besides, the population in the coastal region need to reduce their dependency on Sundarbans for livelihood purposes. Apart from human conflict, the adverse impact of global climate change and frequent natural disasters in the Sundarbans are also responsible for the decrease of the tiger population.

According to the Forest Department sources, at least 38 tigers have died in the Sundarbans in the last 20 years.

Dr. Sheikh Faridul Islam, Chairman of Save the Sundarbans Foundation, said, “We have to stop tiger poaching and ensure smart patrolling in the Sundarbans areas to increase the tiger population.”

Referring to the safeguard for the tigers in Sundarbans, Nazrul Islam Akon, convener of the Sundarbans Protection Committee, stated that the threats to tigers must have to be stopped. We have to take a stand against killing and buying wild animals.

Md Belayet Hossain, Divisional Forest Officer of the Sundarbans East Forest Department, said various events are organized every year on International Tiger Day. However, implementation of these plans discussed throughout the day is a must for increasing the tiger population.

Meanwhile, many emphasized having a regular tiger population census for the development in this regard as the countries which saw success in tiger population conducted surveys on different occasions.