Royal Bengal tiger numbers increases 8% in three years

The number of Royal Bengal tigers in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh has risen to 8 percent in the last three years. The rising trend in tiger numbers was found in the latest tiger census, “Second Phase Status of Tiger in Bangladesh Sundarbans 2018."

The data was released at a press briefing at the Hoimonti auditorium of Ban Bhaban (Forest Department) in Agargaon on Wednesday.

Mihir Kumar Dey, forest conservator of Khulna circle, while addressing media, said: "According to an earlier census in 2015, a total of 106 tigers were recorded in the Sundarbans, but that number rose to 114 in the 2018 survey."

The actual number could be known next year. However, the number has been raised to 8 percent in last three years, he added.

He said the survey was conducted over an extended period of time, starting December 1, 2016. Cameras were set up in 1,659 square kilometers of tiger inhabited areas in the Sundarbans.

Of the total area, 1,208sq km are in Satkhira, 165sq km in Khulna, and 283sq km in the Shoronkhola range of Bagerhat.

A total of 491 cameras at 239 points of the Sundarbans were set up on trees. The cameras captured 2,466 images of tigers for the 249-day census.

Forest department sources say the draft of the latest survey report was also sent to the Wildlife Institute of India for confirmation of the findings. The Indian institute has confirmed the findings to be accurate.

To be noted, the Bangladesh Forest Department in cooperation with Wild team, and the Smithsonian Conservation Institute, started the tiger census with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) financing.

The Department of Zoology at Jahangirnagar University also assisted in analyzing the data and preparing the final report.