Tiger, tiger not burning bright

Tiger, tiger not burning bright

All 5 species headed for extinction

By dr.fourkan Ali

The number of Royal Bengal Tigers in its own homeland-Bangladesh-is only 362, while neighboring country India has 5,750 Royal Bengal Tigers. Bangladesh has not yet provided the tigers with a safe habitat. The habitat of Bengal tigers in Bangladesh has shrunk to parts of the Sundarbans. The tiger, the biggest member of the cat family, is a greatly endangered animal all over the world.

At the beginning of the last century there were about l00 thousand tigers throughout the world. But by the end of the century the number dwindled to a maximum of 7,500. In one hundred years three species of tigers have become extinct. Only five species of tigers still survive. If the tiger becomes extinct then the world will miss this beautiful animal. One cannot think of a future Bangladesh without the Royal Bengal Tiger. The tiger with its power and grace and its royal demeanor, is the symbol of Bangladesh.

On 18 January 2000, 40 representatives from 14 countries met at the first general session of the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) to devise ways and means to save the unfortunate tigers from extinction. The Bangladesh environment and forest ministry was the co-sponsor of the GTF meeting. Though the focus of the GTF includes tigers in all the countries, the Bengal Tigers received most attention in the discussions.

The present members of the GTE which was constituted in 1994 are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Vietnam, The Bengal Tiger resides in all the above-mentioned countries except Vietnam. Of all the tigers that are still surviving 4,715 live in the above four countries and Nepal. The non-member countries like Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand also took part in the general session. This is the biggest international initiative to save this animal. The GTF has tried to include nearly all the countries where tigers live.

Indian forest and environment state minister Babulal Marandi presided over the inaugural session at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel. The then That Times Bangladesh environment and forest minister, Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury was the chief guest and the then state minister; H.N. Ashiqur Rahman was the special guest Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury said that Bangladesh has taken several steps to protect wild animals, including tigers, since liberation. In 1977 three sanctuaries with an area of 125 square miles was set apart in the Sundarbans to protect the wild animals. The area of thee sanctuaries was increased to 1,400 square kilometers in 1996. The UNESCO has declared these three sanctuaries World Heritage Sites. The minister informed the participants that the government had taken up a Tk. 380 crore project from 1998-99, named Preservation of Bio-diversity in the Sundarbans, to protect and maintain biodiversity. The Sundarbans has been divided into four parts under this project to ensure proper management.

Indian forest and environment minister Babulal Marandi said that if proper measures are not taken in the border areas of the countries where tigers live, the effort to save the tiger will not be successful. India has signed bilateral agreements with Nepal and China to preserve the tiger. In a few days, he said, India will sign a bilateral protocol with Bangladesh. The Indian minister proposed that the countries that have tigers should totally ban all markets where tigers and tiger's limbs are bought and sold.

GTF secretary general A.C. Dey said that tigers cannot be saved by the individual efforts of any state. He said that the existence of the tiger had been threatened as the population of the world reached 600 crores. It is unthinkable what will happen in 2050 when world population will be 1200 crores if proper steps are not taken to protect the tiger.

The then environment and forest secretary Syed Marghub Murshed, foreign secretary C.M. Shafi Sami and chief conservator of forests Mohammad Rabbi also spoke at the inaugural session. The participants were informed of some sad facts by the speakers at the general session. We learnt that three species of tigers had become totally extinct of before end of the last century. These are the Caspian, Javan and Bali tigers. The first to disappear was the Bali tiger in the 1940s. Then followed the Caspian tiger: This species of tiger was last sighted in the 1970s. Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey were also the habitats of this tiger. The Java tiger; which disappeared in die 1980s, used to live in south China The surviving five species of tiger are also facing extinction, These belong to Bangladesh, Amour, China, Sumatra, India, China and the Indo-China region. The China tigers number only 30. There are only 406 Amour or Siberian tigers. These tigers inhabit Russia, China and North Korea. Only 371 tigers live in the vast country of Russia. Indo-China tigers (PT Corbett) number only 1,785. They live in China, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. India has the highest number of tigers-3,750 Bengal Tigers. In Bhutan there are 240, in Myanmar 231 and in Nepal 220. These tigers are found in China also, where their number is 35. But the number of Royal Bengal Tigers in their homeland Bangladesh is only 562. The Royal Bengal Tiger of the Sundarbans is threatened not only by cruel hunters but by the rapid shrinkage of its habitat. This magnificent animal will disappear unless sincere efforts are made by the government. That will be an irreparable loss.

Dr.Fourkan Ali

Mob: 01711579267

Email- dr.fourkanali@gmail.com