Big cats in big danger of extinction!

Manzurul Alam Mukul: Tiger, symbol of the beast and beauty, is now a threatened species worldwide including Bangladesh. A century ago, there were hundreds of thousands of tigers roaming in the wild, but the species tigers now worldwide are in serious danger of becoming extinct.

The World Wildlife Fund says their numbers of tigers have fallen from 100,000 in 1900 to around 3,200 now. Although there are no actual estimates of the world tiger population, it is likely that the numbers have fallen by over 95 percent since the turn of the 20th century.  Three sub-species have already been extinct and all remaining five sub-species are now listed as endangered.

It is unfortunate that when International Tiger Day is being observed today (July 29), then Bangladesh has only about 100 tigers living in the world`s largest mangrove forest Sundarbans. But, some 440 tigers were recorded during the previous census in 2004 in the Sundarbans, one of the last remaining habitats for the big cats.

Prey depletion has become a serious threat to the tiger population in recent times. The size of the tiger population largely depends on size and suitability of the prey population. The main prey for tiger in the Sundarbans is spotted deer (Axis axis) and to some extent wild boar (Sus scrofa). Snaring is a common practice in Sundarbans to catch spotted deer.
Newspapers and other media frequently publish report about illegal deer meat market in the Sundarbans` adjacent areas and according to reports it is quite easy to collect deer meat due to weakness and non-implementation of law.

Human-tiger conflict
Tiger-Human Conflict (THC) is very high in Bangladesh, which is evident from high rate of human killing, livestock depredation and ultimately the killing in retribution of tigers by affected local communities.

Several million people directly depend on the Sundarbans for their subsistence living. They collect wood, honey, gol-pata and other forest products from the Sundarbans.

Most of the human-killings by tigers occur when people enter into the forest for collecting forest resources. On average 20-30 people are killed each year by tigers according to Forest Department records. Such human killing affects many families by losing earning members.

On the other hand, due to food shortage, tigers come to the Sundarbans adjacent villages and kill humans and livestock, and eventually face death at the hands of the villagers.

International Tiger Day
International Tiger Day highlights the need for drastic action to protect tigers in the wild, which are increasingly at risk of being wiped out because of both humanity and climate change.

The day is meant to raise awareness of the dwindling population of this beautiful and exotic species. It was founded four years ago at the 2010 Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit, and since then has been celebrated every July 29.

Tiger conservation remains an enormous challenge at both national and global scales and its long-term persistence depends on effective conservation and management strategies. The governments and natural resource managers should take immediate steps to conserve and expand mangroves side-by-side  preventing poaching and retaliatory killing of tigers. Deer is one of the main foods of Royal Bengal Tigers. The authority should take steps to save these animals for the sake of Bengal tigers. India is estimated to be home to around 70% of the world`s tigers and it is a matter of hope that India has reported a 30 percent jump in tiger numbers since 2010 as the country has taken various pragmatic steps to save tigers.

Tigers will disappear from the Sunderbans unless effective and credible steps are immediately taken to protect them. So, the government and all of us should come ahead to protect the species in a bid to save natural ecosystem and to give a chance to future generations to see a tiger’s elegance.

Risingbd/DHAKA/July 29, 2015/Mukul