The Hindu : Joint census of tigers by India, Bangladesh begins in Sundarbans

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 01, 2004

International

International

Joint census of tigers by India, Bangladesh begins in Sundarbans

By Haroon Habib

DHAKA, FEB. 29. India and Bangladesh wildlife experts have jointly embarked on a first-ever comprehensive tiger census under the United Nations Development Programme at Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest.

The census was held at southern Mongla as part of the India-Bangladesh initiative aimed at preserving the Sundarbans, declared a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO. An Indian team also attended the ceremony.

The official figure of the Sundarban tigers has been so far based on rough estimates — "over 300"— because there has never been any specific steps to count the tiger population through a scientific census.

The Bangladesh National Cadet Corps, NGO activists and forest employees are taking part in the week-long census targeting the Bangladesh side of the Sundarbans, which accounts for nearly 60 percent of the entire forest.In 1969, the British wildlife expert, Guy Mountford of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), visited the Sundarbans as part of his mission to the then East Pakistan. But he was sceptical on the number of Royal Bengal Tigers — over 300 — reported by forest officials.

The Mountford report, not based on any scientific survey, claimed that the number was as low as 50 and as high as about 100.Heubart Henrish of the WWF later conducted a survey in the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans. He came here in December 1970 but has to abandon the work due to the War of Liberation. He came back in 1975 and submitted a report based on information gathered from forest officials.In his report, he said there were about 300 tigers. Till date, forest officials have stuck to that number. Of the total 10,006 sq km of the Sundarbans, 5,770 sq km, including 1,700 sq km of water, falls into this side of the border.Over six million people live in these forest areas — 3 million in Bangladesh and 3.5 million in India.

In 2002, India and Bangladesh officials reached an understanding to share knowledge and techniques to protect the Sundarbans.

The present census was a tangible result of that understanding. Over 50 teams would conduct the survey, comb the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans in search of tiger paw prints or "pugmarks."

From the collected prints, scientists can ascertain the age, weight and gender of individual animals and estimate their numbers.Forest officials said each tiger has unique paw prints, just as human beings have their own fingerprint, different from each other.

The paw print method has proved to be the most accurate. The census would end on March 3. It is stated that the present census will reach all corners of the Sundarbans and provide the first consolidated population of the Royal Bengal Tiger.

A similar tiger census, was conducted in West Bengal part of the Sundarbans in January this year.

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