- The latest tiger population census in Bangladesh, which was done by evaluating camera-trapping data, shows that the country is home to at least 125 adult Bengal tigers.
- The report shows almost a 10% increase since the last census in 2018 in the Sundarbans mangrove forests, which is considered to be Bangladesh’s only remaining habitat for tigers.
- Conservationists attribute this success to the efforts made in the region in recent years, including installing fences and increased patrolling against poaching.
Reports show Bangladesh’s Bengal tiger population has grown steadily in the past nine years, owing to the government’s conservation initiatives. The latest published census report about the status of tigers in the Bangladesh Sundarbans, which is considered to be only remaining habitat for tigers in the country, shows that Bangladesh is home to at least 125 adult tigers.
According to the IUCN Red List, the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is an endangered species globally. Data from the Global Tiger Forum shows that, as of 2023, there were 5,574 wild tigers living in 13 tiger range countries.
The survey in Bangladesh, conducted through camera trap evaluation in two different timeframes — Jan. 2 to Apr. 25, 2023, and Nov. 1 to Mar. 28, 2024 — indicates that the big cat population increased by 17.92% from the 2015 survey and 9.65% from the 2018 one.
Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain, project director of the Sundarbans Tiger Conservation Project, said about the survey and the methods used, “We looked at 2,240 square kilometers (865 square miles), that is about 50%, of the total [Sundarbans] forest land for the survey and used 1,210 cameras in 605 spots to capture the images.” The Sundarbans mangrove forest covers an area of 10,277 km2 (3,968 mi2), of which 6,017 km2 (2,323 mi2) is in Bangladesh, and the rest in neighboring India.
Additionally, the survey monitored the big cat’s pugmarks along 1,306 km (811 mi) of narrow rivers and canals inside the forest.
“Based on the images and pugmark analysis, we identified 84 adult tigers,” Hossain said.
Counting the identified tigers and evidence of their presence, the analysis shows that the tiger density in the Sundarbans is 2.64 per 100 km2 (38.6 mi2), which indicates that the total number of tigers in the Bangladeshi part of the mangroves is 125.
In 2015 and 2018, Bangladesh had conducted two tiger censuses in the Sundarbans and estimated the number of tigers to be 106 and 114, respectively.
Conservationists attribute this success to the conservation efforts over the last couple of years, including the installation of net fences and increased patrolling against poaching.
The interlinked populations of prey and predator
According to the census data, the Sundarbans mangroves are also home to around 330 floral species, 400 fish species, 300 bird species, 35 reptiles and 42 mammals. The forest accommodates many globally threatened species, including the Bengal tiger, the Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica), and the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris).
Earlier in 2023, researchers found an increase in the population of tiger prey, like the spotted deer, in the mangroves, which they said indicates a healthy ecosystem for the predator.
For the latest survey, three ranges in the forest — Khulna, Satkhira and Chandpai-Sarankhola — were selected. In addition to the tiger numbers, the survey also looked into the population ratio in the three ranges and found that Khulna has an increase in tiger density. In contrast, the Chandpai-Sarankhola and Satkhira ranges showed declines, with Satkhira experiencing the most significant decrease.
The census report says that poaching of both tigers and their main prey, the chital (Axis axis), and unauthorized resource harvest in the forest by some locals in the Satkhira forests as two of the reasons for the decrease in tigers in the region.
The report also suggests several protection measures, including increased smart patrolling by the forest and coast guards and measures by the forest department to build awareness among the communities living around the forest about tiger conservation and conflict.
Mohammad Abdul Aziz, a professor of zoology at Jahangirnagar University, who is also part of the survey team, said increased monitoring over the years against illegal activities inside the forest and the control over “forest robbers” and poachers have played a positive role for this rising trends of big cat population in Bangladesh.
Banner image: A tiger in the Sundarbans. Image by Anupam Mukherjee via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Sundarbans tiger and prey numbers rise amid Bangladesh conservation efforts
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