- Recent surveys of huge cats and prey within the Sundarbans point out that numbers for each have elevated considerably in recent years, because of totally different conservation measures taken by the Bangladesh authorities.
- According to the final survey carried out in 2018, there have been 114 tigers within the Bangladesh portion of the Sundarbans, whereas the quantity counted in 2004 was 440.
- An ongoing digital camera trapping tiger census has discovered extra presence of tigers throughout the forest than in earlier counts. The ultimate depend of the tiger inhabitants will likely be introduced on International Tiger Day, July 29, 2024.
- Experts say that a rise in tigers’ prey animals will cut back human-tiger battle and assist improve the tiger inhabitants.
In a heartening flip of occasions, the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, which spans the southwest border of Bangladesh, is seeing promising indicators of restoration for the long-lasting Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris). Five years in the past, the conservation neighborhood was deeply involved concerning the species’ plummeting numbers on this distinctive habitat.
This concern was significantly stark when contemplating the success tales of India and Nepal, the place their shut tiger cousins had managed to thrive and improve their populations. The decline in Bengal tigers within the Sundarbans solid a shadow of uncertainty over their future. However, a collection of devoted efforts spearheaded by the Bangladesh authorities and numerous stakeholders have yielded encouraging outcomes, rekindling hope for the survival and progress of those magnificent creatures.
The key methods employed on this concerted conservation marketing campaign have centered round preserving the tigers’ pure habitat, tackling meals shortage points and combating poaching by means of a collaborative community-based strategy. These initiatives haven’t solely benefited the tigers but additionally your complete ecosystem of the Sundarbans.
Recent surveys carried out collectively by the federal government’s forest division, German Cooperation and the Swiss unit of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have unveiled two crucial findings that paint an optimistic image of Bengal tiger resurgence.
Firstly, the surveys have noticed an encouraging improve within the inhabitants of prey animals similar to noticed deer, wild boars and monkeys throughout the Sundarbans. This bountiful prey availability alerts a optimistic flip for the tigers, making certain they’ve a gentle meals provide to maintain themselves and their potential offspring.
Secondly, resulting from efficient habitat preservation measures, the surveys counsel that the forest might now be accommodating the next variety of tigers. This resurgence not solely holds promise for the Bengal tigers’ survival but additionally contributes to the biodiversity and ecological stability of the Sundarbans.
Bountiful availability of prey animals
One of the surveys, a complete three-year census, underscores the significance of six key prey animals for Bengal tigers. Although the variety of barking deer has dwindled, the populations of three out of the remaining 5 prey species have skilled noteworthy progress over the previous three a long time. Spotted deer and wild boars have doubled in quantity, and monkey populations have additionally flourished. Experts spotlight that these prey animals usually are not solely essential for the tigers’ survival but additionally integral to sustaining the colourful biodiversity of the Sundarbans.
The survey, titled “Status of Tiger Prey Species in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh,” discovered that the variety of noticed deer, which contributed 79% of the tiger’s meals consumption, was 1,41,357; the inhabitants had been round 80,000-85,000 when the final census was carried out within the Eighties.
The different favourite prey for tigers within the Sundarbans is the wild boar. This prey animal, which contributes round 11% of the tiger’s meals consumption, noticed an increase of 45,110 within the latest census. In the earlier census, it was some 28,000.
“The previous studies on prey animals of the tiger were very limited. That’s why it was unknown to the scientists what is the status of the tiger’s prey animals in the forest. From the result of the census, we can take the necessary steps for the conservation of tiger food, as this will help to reduce human-tiger conflict. If there is no food scarcity, the population of tigers will increase too,” M.A. Aziz, professor within the Department of Zoology at Jahangirnagar University and a researcher concerned within the research, advised Mongabay.
He, nonetheless, burdened protecting prey animals protected against poachers.
Tiger photos had been recorded in new locations
Apart from prey animals, one other promising initiative, a four-month digital camera trapping research spanning 2,600 kilometers (1,615 miles) within the western zone of the forest, has added to the rising optimism.
The forest division is conducting a census of the tiger inhabitants within the Sundarbans. A complete of 1,330 cameras at 665 spots had been put in to depend tigers, deer and pigs within the mangrove forest.
As of now, the evaluation signifies that at the very least 53% of the put in cameras discovered the motion of tigers, which has created hope and optimistic expectations concerning the elevated numbers.
“We are now analyzing the images. As every tiger has unique stripes, unique tigers will be identified through their stripes. But the good news is that we got images of tigers in the places where we did not get any image in the previous two censuses,” mentioned Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain, Sundarban West Forest Division officer.
Forest officers mentioned the survey will likely be accomplished in April, and the variety of tigers will likely be introduced on July 29, 2024, International Tiger Day.
Mohsin mentioned the variety of tigers might rise, as the federal government took numerous steps over the years to guard the large cats.
Increasing the extent of protected areas is one among them. The authorities declared 52% of the full Sundarbans (6,017 sq. kilometers or 2,323 sq. miles) as protected areas in 2020, whereas it had been solely 23% earlier.
“As the protected area was increased, tigers remained undisturbed and this ensured a good environment for tiger breeding,” Mohsin mentioned, including that it was doable solely as a result of the forest is now pirate-free.
Additionally, to guard the tigers, the federal government has centered on mitigating tiger-human battle, which is at the moment giving dividends.
There are 340 members beneath 49 village tiger response groups whose process is to guard any tiger any tiger that enters a locality.
“In the last 20 years, 52 tigers were killed or died naturally. But in the last five years, there was not a single incident of human-tiger conflict in the Sundarbans,” Mohsin mentioned.
Sundarbans tiger surveys at a look
According to the final survey carried out in 2018, there have been 114 tigers within the Sundarbans in Bangladesh.
According to the Tiger Census 2015, the tiger inhabitants was solely 106 within the Bangladesh a part of the Sundarbans, down from 440 in 2004.
In 1975, German biologist Hubert Hendrichs labored on “man-eating” tiger field surveys. From his tiger area surveys then, he estimated the variety of tigers in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans was 350.
In 1982, Margaret Salter carried out a sample and field survey and estimated that the variety of tigers was 425.
Rex Gittins carried out a survey in 1984 overlaying a 110 km2 (42 mi2) space of the Sundarbans South Wildlife Sanctuary and located the tiger inhabitants to be 430-50.
In 1992, the forest division collected information from the individuals working within the Sundarbans space and estimated the quantity to be 359.
The following yr, Dhan Bahadur Tamang carried out a pugmark census (utilizing tiger footprints to estimate inhabitants numbers) overlaying 350 km2 (135 mi2) of the Sundarbans space and put the quantity at 362.
Bangladesh has taken a number of steps for tiger conservation, together with the Tiger Action Plan 2009-2017, Bangladesh Tiger Action Plan 2018-2027, the National Tiger Recovery Program and the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012.
In 2010, the International Tiger Conservation Forum held a summit in Russia during which tiger vary international locations dedicated to double the worldwide tiger inhabitants by 2022; Bangladesh was among the many 13 international locations. The international locations on the summit determined to conduct surveys each 4 years.
Banner picture: A sub-adult Bengal tiger on the river financial institution in Sundarban Tiger Reserve in India. Image by Soumyajit Nandy through Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Bangladesh tries fences to deal with rising human-tiger battle in Sundarbans
