The King of Sundarbans, the Royal Bengal Tiger, Must Be Protected

 

July 29 is celebrated as World Tiger Day. The day is celebrated every year with due dignity to raise public awareness for tiger conservation all over the world. The day was started in the year 2010 at the Tiger Conference held in St. Petersburg and the main objective of the day is to protect the natural habitat of tigers and remove the misconceptions and fears about tigers by creating awareness among the general public for tiger conservation. Every year this day is celebrated through various programs. Tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh and India, and the Sundarbans, located in both countries, is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger. Apart from this, the purpose of celebrating this day is to double the number of tigers through the World Wildlife Organization (WWF) in the countries where the existence of tigers is visible in the forest areas of the world.

The Bengal tiger, also known as the Royal Bengal Tiger, is a special subspecies of tiger. The Royal Bengal Tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh and is commonly found in Bangladesh and India. This species of tiger is also found in some areas of Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and South Tibet. The Bengal tiger is the most numerous of the tiger subspecies. One of the attractions of the Sundarbans is the Royal Bengal Tiger. The Royal Bengal Tiger is also the main attraction for the adventurous tourists visiting the Sundarbans. However, the sighting of this animal is very rare these days.

The Royal Bengal Tiger is the largest cat species in the world. It is known that its average height is 11 feet. A male tiger weighs an average of 221 kg and a tigress weighs an average of 137 kg. Its favorite food is deer, wild boar, monkey and a tiger eats 5-15 kg of meat daily. However, male tigers can eat up to 30 kg of meat. The tiger silently stalks the prey and makes a sudden ambush. At this time their speed is 50-65 km per hour. They can swim at a speed of 32 km per hour and catch prey in water. Their speed is more than launch. They dive into water to keep cool and tigers like to be alone. The mother tiger is separated from the cubs when the cubs are two years old. Tigers can mate at any time of the year. However, most of these meet between November and April. Gestation in tigresses lasts 103-105 days and they give birth to 2-4 cubs at a time. Tigers are born blind and cubs remain completely blind for the first week of birth. A tiger lives up to 25 years. Their canine teeth are up to 4 inches long, with claws curved like blades. Front toenails 3 inches. Pupils of tiger eyes are round. Because tigers usually hunt in the morning and evening. But the tiger hunts more at night. While hunting, the tiger bites the trachea and holds the prey by the throat until it suffocates. Tigers mark their territory through urine which alerts other tigers. Tiger urine smells like buttered popcorn. Tigers roar only to communicate with distant tigers. In the dead of night the roar of a tiger can be heard from a distance of 3 km. When they are scared they hiss like a cat. Male tigers are generous, they let the female tiger and the cubs eat first.

According to the information of the forest department, the chance of seeing a tiger during the day in the Sundarbans is very less. Because at this time, due to the movement of tourist boats inside the forest and the noise and presence of tourists, the wild animals go into the forest. At night they come to the ponds of camps and tourist centers to drink fresh water. Therefore, tigers are rarely seen sitting on the high towers of ponds, especially during Moonlight night. But suddenly the tiger's movement is visible even during the day. Recently, the sight of three tigers crossing a river together and five tigers with cubs roaming together went viral on social media. Several other such sightings of tiger roaming were caught on camera by the forest department, tourist guides and tourists.

According to Forest Department data, in the 1975 post-independence survey, there were 350 tigers in the Sundarbans. Then in 1982, 425 tigers were surveyed and in 1984, 430 to 450 tigers were reported in the 110 square kilometer area of the Sundarbans South Wildlife Sanctuary. The forest department reported 359 tigers in 1992. The following year in 1993, Dhan Bahadur Tamang reported that there were 362 tigers in the 350 square kilometer area of the Sundarbans by pagmark method survey. The 1996-97 survey put tiger numbers at 350 to 400. At that time tiger footprints were counted. In 2004, the number of tigers in the survey was 440 and in the 2015 survey, the number of tigers in the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans decreased to 106 at an alarming rate. Suddenly the number of tigers in the Sundarbans fell from 400 to 106, and the whole world was shocked. In the latest 2018 tiger survey, the number of tigers in the Sundarbans has increased from 106 to 114 at present. According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India, the current number of Bengal tigers in India is 1,411, 153-163 in Nepal and 103 in Bhutan. But what is worrying is that according to the Sundarbans Division data, 50 tigers have died from 2001 to 2018, of these, only 10 died naturally. 14 tigers were beaten to death by the local people, one was killed in the 2007 Super Cyclone Sidr and poachers killed the remaining 25 tigers. Definitely it is alarming news.

Experts say that the Sundarbans is the largest habitat of the Royal Bengal Tiger in Asia. The forest department alone could not make the Royal Bengal tiger habitat completely safe for them. If the Sundarbans are made safe for wild animals, the number of tigers will increase further. Recently, fishermen and tourists of Sundarbans have reported that tigers are roaming freely and tiger cubs are being seen in different areas.

The rivers of Sundarbans have tides twice a day. A large part of the mangrove forest is submerged during high tide. Then the tigers floated in the water for a long time to save themselves. Then the tiger is only busy saving itself. But tigresses have to keep their rulers in mind. A tigress can give birth to up to four cubs. The tigress managed to save one of her cubs when the tide rose to the surface. The rest were swept away by the water and thus many tiger cubs died.

According to a report by the World Wildlife Fund, the number of tigers in India, Nepal and Russia has increased in the last 8 years, but there is a decreasing trend in Bangladesh. However, according to experts, according to the size of the Sundarbans, this number can be almost doubled if tiger prey animals such as deer and pigs are ensured in sufficient quantity. As a result, if these few tigers are to be saved from extinction, tiger protection should be given the highest state priority. According to zoologists, regular food of tiger is deer. If there are not enough deer in the Sundarbans, there will be no tigers even if there is room. The number of tigers in the forest depends on the availability of food. The main food of the tiger is deer and besides pigs and other animals. So the number of tigers is ultimately dependent on the supply of food.

Kent University of UK, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Dhaka University Zoology Department and Wildlife Research Institute conducted by 10 researchers in the survey conducted by the initiative of wild team, it can be seen that 137 local people near the Sundarbans have been interviewed, of which 90 people say, there are benefits in using tiger limbs. According to survey data, people are using tiger limbs to cure diseases. Experts say that eating tiger meat and fat is completely unhealthy and unscientific. They are used to eliminate diseases, but there is a risk of contracting various diseases. They commented that cure of diseases in tiger meat is a complete superstition.

According to tiger experts, there are only 106 tigers in the Sundarbans as per the 2015 census and 114 as per the latest 2018 tiger census. Tigers have become extinct in many countries of the world due to poachers. Tigers are already extinct in Cambodia. Only five to six tigers are reported in China and Vietnam. If tiger killing and poaching cannot be stopped, the king of the Sundarbans, the Royal Bengal Tiger, will disappear from Bangladesh as well. All the markets of tigers that have been created in the country should be closed quickly. Drug sellers with tiger limbs should be arrested. Otherwise, the name of the national animal will remain only in Bangladesh, in fact its existence will disappear.

The Sundarbans in Bangladesh is the last refuge of the Royal Bengal Tiger. But this animal is very beautiful and its skin is very valuable. So this animal is almost extinct due to poachers. Moreover, due to deforestation, lack of food and environmental degradation, this animal is on the verge of extinction. Therefore, it is necessary to stop illegal hunting and protect and increase the number of animals and preserve the natural environment.

 
Md. Zillur Rahaman is a banker
and a columnist.