Tiger poaching must stop

The Royal Bengal Tiger is one of the iconic symbols of Bangladesh, and the spirit of the majestic animal brings strength to every Bangladeshi heart. The nickname ‘Tigers’ for our national cricket team speaks volumes about Bangladeshis’ affection for the animal. Unfortunately, according to wildlife experts, our tigers in the Sundarbans are in peril, and struggling to avert extinction in the very area where they once ruled the roost. We have been negligent in protecting this national asset. The poachers have taken advantage of this apathy, and their activities are threatening to push these mighty creatures further towards extinction.

Against this background, it is somewhat reassuring to know that the Bangladesh government is working to conserve wild tigers by achieving a zero poaching goal with active participation from the local community. According to a report published in this newspaper on Saturday, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin, while addressing the 4th Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation virtually from his official residence said “The government has taken several initiatives for conserving the national animal tiger, and other wild species too, including the formulations of Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012 and Wildlife Victim Compensation Rules, 202. To mitigate tiger-human conflicts, the Bangladesh government has engaged the local community in conservation activities by forming the Village Tiger Response Team (VTRT), Co-management Committee (CMC) and Community Petrol Group (CPG).”

The minister’s comments come at a time when Bangladesh is finding it difficult to protect the threatened Bengal tiger population in Sundarbans, with poaching blamed for the alarmingly low numbers. Experts say that the Bengal Tigers continue to be a “critically endangered” species. The authorities concerned must stop poaching in the mangrove forest. Almost every year, there are reports of unnatural deaths of tigers. A total of 38 tigers died in the last 20 years in Bangladesh Sundarbans. Tiger poaching is the main reason for the significant fall in numbers, causing 97 per cent of the population lost in the past 100 years.

Sundarbans is already facing the devastating effects of climate change. In addition to climate change, the Sundarbans are under growing pressure from industrial developments, new roads, and more poaching. Unfortunately, the forest cover is shrinking fast in this country. The forests are no longer capable of supporting a healthy wildlife population, intensifying man-animal conflict and a spike in poaching. It is interesting to note that while the Bangladesh Sundarbans have a higher area on that side, the density is just 2.17 tigers per 100sq km, almost half of that in the Indian Sundarbans. Tigers are getting a double whammy—increased human encroachment on the one hand and a worsening climate and associated sea-level rises on the other

Wildlife experts say that the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has made the wild cats even more vulnerable to poachers. Lockdowns have destroyed the livelihoods of numerous people in the Sundarbans region, and more people are turning to poaching. Besides, monitoring of Besides, monitoring of forests has become lax during the pandemic. Although tiger hunting is banned in Bangladesh, convictions are rare in poaching cases. There are allegations that tiger poaching thrives because forest officials often facilitate the trade instead of cracking down on it.

The more of the Sundarbans that can be conserved—via new protected areas and reducing illegal poaching—the more resilient it will be to future climatic extremes and rising sea levels. Adequate measures need to be undertaken to stop poaching and to disrupt the illegal wildlife trade supply chain. Remote cameras placed strategically throughout the forest can capture images of potential poachers and relay these photos in real-time to law enforcers, who can use the images to identify wildlife poachers. We understand that the forest department has limited resources. However, even limited resources can be used efficiently. Specially trained forest guards can pinpoint the poachers’ exact locations to set up ambushes and arrest them. These strategies are succeeding in some of the world’s most heavily poached landscapes. Tiger populations are recovering at key sites in Nepal, Thailand, and Indonesia. Bangladesh should follow suit and take the necessary steps to ensure that the majestic Royal Bengal Tigers do not face the threat of extinction.