Published on 12:00 AM, December 16, 2022

Tiger census begins in Sundarbans

A camera trap photo shows a Royal Bengal tiger walking off with a clay pot in its mouth in Sundarbans. Photo courtesy: Forest Department

The government yesterday started the much-awaited tiger census in the Sundarbans under the "Sundarbans Tiger Conservation Project".

Divisional Forest Officer of the Sundarbans West Division and Project Director of Tiger Conservation Project Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain said the inaugural work began in Kalabagi Forest Station area of the Khulna range.

The three-year-long project was scheduled to be implemented from April 2022 to March 2025 at an estimated cost of Tk 35.93 crore. However, the global economic recession delayed the release of funds. This project has two parts. One is tiger census and the other is tiger conservation.

Around 484 cameras will be installed in the Sundarbans to capture pictures of tigers and other animals to determine their numbers.

According to the 2018 survey, there are 114 tigers in the Sundarbans in Bangladesh.