Bangladesh patrols to protect Bengal tiger
Bangladesh will form patrols in the world’s largest mangrove forest
in a bid to stop locals beating the critically endangered Bengal tiger
to death, an official said Monday.
The move follows an increase in tiger deaths in the
10,000-square-kilometre (3,860 square miles) Sunderbans forest, with
dozens beaten to death over the last decade after wandering into local
villages.
“It’s impossible to conserve these rare tigers unless we involve
villagers to help protect the animal,” said Abdul Motaleb, the
government’s forest conservation chief.
There are around 450 Bengal tigers in the Bangladeshi section of the
Sunderbans, the world’s largest remaining population in the wild,
according to a 2004 government census.
The new government-approved plan, the first of its kind in the area,
will lead to the formation of a 10-person patrol team in each of the
hundreds of villages on the edge of the forest, which straddles the
Bangladesh-India border.
“The patrol teams will inform forest officials as soon as a tiger
enters their village. They’ll also persuade the villagers not to harm
the animals,” the official said.
Last year, nearly 30 people were killed after they were attacked by
tigers while fishing or collecting honey inside the forest, according to
media reports, and villagers are traditionally hostile to the tigers.
Expert Monirul Khan said tiger numbers were likely only half the
government’s estimate, with fatal beatings being a key factor in the
slow demise of the animal.
AFP
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