UNB, Bagerhat :
Though the government has taken various measures to protect the Royal Bengal Tiger in the Sundarbans, its poaching is on the rise with 49 being killed in the last 14 years (2001-2014), according to Forest Department data.
Among the 49 tigers, 17 were directly killed in the Sundarbans East Zone of the Forest Department while 15 tigers in the Sundarbans West Zone.
According to its data, the Forest Department recovered 17 tiger skins from different parts of the country during the period (2001-2014) while being smuggled out of the country.
On Tuesday night, members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested three members of a tiger poachers’ gang along with a tiger hide, teeth and some bones of tiger from a bus stand in Morelganj upazila of the district.
During their preliminary interrogation by RAB members, the arrestees confessed to killing eight Bengal tigers in Sundarbans in the last two months for smuggling out their hides and bones.
“If it’s true that the poachers killed eight tigers in the last two months, then it’s alarming. It’ll be difficult to protect the Sundarbans’ tigers in accordance with the declaration of ‘International Tiger Forum’ held in St. Petersburg (Russia) in November 2010,” forest conservator (wildlife circle) Dr Tapan Kumar Dey told UNB.
As per the declaration, he said, Bangladesh is committed to increasing the tiger population marginally or maintaining the present status in the Sundarbans, but now it seems to be a challenging task for the country.
According to an official survey conducted in 2004, there were 440 tigers in the Sundarbans, the country’s only natural tiger habitat with a range of 6,017 square kilometers.
Although official data shows that some 49 tigers were killed in last 14 years, the forest people who live in the Sundarbans from generation to generation claim that the number of poached tigers would be much higher than the forest department data.
They said, wildlife poaching continues rampantly in the Sundarbans while the poachers frequently enter it and hunt tigers, deer and other wildlife using traps or shooting them.
There are a number of wildlife poachers’ groups in the nearby villages of the Sundarbans and they are poaching wildlife in both the Sundarbans East and Sundarbans West zones. The groups have a link with the international wildlife smugglers, according to local sources.
After poaching the wildlife, including tigers from the Sundarbans, the local poachers bring them to the nearby villages and process the hides, bones and other limbs of the wildlife. Later, they sell those to the international smugglers.
Local forest people claim that the poachers also smuggle out tiger and deer cubs and other wildlife.
The residents of Banglabazar, Uttar Rajapur, Sonatola, Bagi and Khuriakhali villages nearby the Sundarbans told UNB that there are a number of active wildlife poachers’ groups in their neighbourhoods and they are directly involved in wildlife poaching, and the villagers can hardly raise their voice for fear of reprisal.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sundarbans East Zone Amir Hossain Chowdhury said many plans are being implemented to protect the Royal Bengal tigers while the Forest Department’s Wildlife Circle has been strengthened, officials of the department have been trained and coordination among the Forest Department, Coast Guard, RAB and police has been strengthened to check wildlife poaching and smuggle out of the country.
He said, officials of the Forest Department are conducting drives across the country to arrest wildlife poachers and they are often detaining members of wildlife smugglers in possession with hides of tigers and deer.
Though the government has taken various measures to protect the Royal Bengal Tiger in the Sundarbans, its poaching is on the rise with 49 being killed in the last 14 years (2001-2014), according to Forest Department data.
Among the 49 tigers, 17 were directly killed in the Sundarbans East Zone of the Forest Department while 15 tigers in the Sundarbans West Zone.
According to its data, the Forest Department recovered 17 tiger skins from different parts of the country during the period (2001-2014) while being smuggled out of the country.
On Tuesday night, members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested three members of a tiger poachers’ gang along with a tiger hide, teeth and some bones of tiger from a bus stand in Morelganj upazila of the district.
During their preliminary interrogation by RAB members, the arrestees confessed to killing eight Bengal tigers in Sundarbans in the last two months for smuggling out their hides and bones.
“If it’s true that the poachers killed eight tigers in the last two months, then it’s alarming. It’ll be difficult to protect the Sundarbans’ tigers in accordance with the declaration of ‘International Tiger Forum’ held in St. Petersburg (Russia) in November 2010,” forest conservator (wildlife circle) Dr Tapan Kumar Dey told UNB.
As per the declaration, he said, Bangladesh is committed to increasing the tiger population marginally or maintaining the present status in the Sundarbans, but now it seems to be a challenging task for the country.
According to an official survey conducted in 2004, there were 440 tigers in the Sundarbans, the country’s only natural tiger habitat with a range of 6,017 square kilometers.
Although official data shows that some 49 tigers were killed in last 14 years, the forest people who live in the Sundarbans from generation to generation claim that the number of poached tigers would be much higher than the forest department data.
They said, wildlife poaching continues rampantly in the Sundarbans while the poachers frequently enter it and hunt tigers, deer and other wildlife using traps or shooting them.
There are a number of wildlife poachers’ groups in the nearby villages of the Sundarbans and they are poaching wildlife in both the Sundarbans East and Sundarbans West zones. The groups have a link with the international wildlife smugglers, according to local sources.
After poaching the wildlife, including tigers from the Sundarbans, the local poachers bring them to the nearby villages and process the hides, bones and other limbs of the wildlife. Later, they sell those to the international smugglers.
Local forest people claim that the poachers also smuggle out tiger and deer cubs and other wildlife.
The residents of Banglabazar, Uttar Rajapur, Sonatola, Bagi and Khuriakhali villages nearby the Sundarbans told UNB that there are a number of active wildlife poachers’ groups in their neighbourhoods and they are directly involved in wildlife poaching, and the villagers can hardly raise their voice for fear of reprisal.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sundarbans East Zone Amir Hossain Chowdhury said many plans are being implemented to protect the Royal Bengal tigers while the Forest Department’s Wildlife Circle has been strengthened, officials of the department have been trained and coordination among the Forest Department, Coast Guard, RAB and police has been strengthened to check wildlife poaching and smuggle out of the country.
He said, officials of the Forest Department are conducting drives across the country to arrest wildlife poachers and they are often detaining members of wildlife smugglers in possession with hides of tigers and deer.
