News Desk : dhakamirror.com
Tigers in the Sundarbans are in imminent danger of being hungry due to the rising spotted deer poaching.
The big cats, well-known as the Royal Bengal Tiger in the southern mangrove forest of the country hunt spotted deer, monkey, and wild boar.
According to a review study by the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Department on the Bengal Tiger Conservation Activity project, spotted deer is the staple diet of the tiger.
Due to the lack of food, tigers frequently infiltrate into communities, resulting in conflicts between humans and tigers.
The report stated that the tiger’s typical diet and the forest’s ecology were crucial to its conservation.
The number of Bengal tigers in the Bangladeshi portion of the Sundarbans was estimated to be 114 in 2018 via camera-based survey as part of the Bengal Tiger Conservation Activity project, an increase from the 106 animals noted in a prior survey in 2015.
In order to prevent unlawful deer hunting by poachers at different locations, including Mongla, Sharonkhola, Paikgachha, and Dacope in the forest, the IMED report has advised increasing petrol by the foresters.
Dr. Mohammad Zahangir Alom, the terrestrial program manager and country representative for the Wildlife Conservation Society, claimed that modern local foresters use the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool to patrol the forest.
The monitoring system combines software and training materials to assist conservation managers in keeping track of animals, spotting hazards like sickness or poaching, and improving patrol effectiveness, he said.
According to Zahangir Alom, the petrol system needs to be improved to deter poaching.
According to reports, foresters detained 10 poachers during a drive in January and seized 78 kilograms of venison, 10 deerskins, and a dead bear.
Md Niamul Naser, chairman of the department of zoology of Dhaka University, said that surveillance was the most effective way to stop poaching.
In addition, maintaining the forest’s ecosystem protection is necessary to boost the population of spotted deer, he continued.
The IMED findings also recommended doing periodic surveys on other wildlife, such as spotted deer, to boost conservation.
The number of spotted deer was 83,000, according to a publication by the department of forests from 2007.
The research recommended limiting visitors’ access to the forest.
It also suggested conducting research on the ecology to identify strategies for raising the population of tigers and other species.
