The number of Bengal tigers in the Sundarbans has increased by 11 to reach 125 over the last six years, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has said.
The adviser shared the information while addressing a press conference held to announce the results of the third “Sundarbans Tiger Census 2024” at the secretariat today (8 October).
Alongside her, Professor MA Aziz of Jahangirnagar University’s zoology department, who has been involved in the project as an expert, presented the results of the survey conducted between January 2023 and March 2024.
The census revealed that the tiger population in the Sundarbans now stands at 125, with a density of 2.64 tigers per 100 square kilometres of the forest. This marks a 9.65% increase in the number of tigers compared to 2018, and a 17.92% rise compared to 2015.
The first camera trap survey in the Sundarbans was conducted in 2015, which recorded 106 tigers with a density of 2.17 tigers per 100 square kilometres.
The second phase of the survey in 2018 found 114 tigers, with a density of 2.55 tigers per 100 square kilometres. Compared to 2015, there was a nearly 8% surge in the population by 2018.
Addressing the briefing, Rizwana also said that the 2023-24 camera trap survey also found 21 tiger cubs, but their number was not included as their mortality rate at a young age is very high. Only five tiger cubs were photographed during the 2015 and 2018 surveys.
According to the Forest Department, the Bangladesh portion of the Sundarbans covers an area of 6,017 square kilometres. Of that, 4,832 square kilometres is forestland and 1,185 square kilometres is wetlands.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified tigers as a critically endangered species in Bangladesh. The data collected from this survey will guide future conservation strategies.
