The dense, tangled mangroves of the Sundarbans have long been the kingdom of the elusive Royal Bengal tiger. Today, on International Tiger Day, Bangladesh has a powerful story to tell: the tiger population in its Sundarbans has risen to 125, signaling a cautious but remarkable comeback for one of the world’s most endangered big cats.
In a world where extinction stories dominate the headlines, this news feels different—hopeful, urgent, and hard-earned.
The Numbers That Matter
The latest Sundarbans tiger census, conducted between January 2023 and March 2024, used more than 1,200 motion-sensitive camera traps across over 600 zones. The result? A confirmed 125 adult tigers—up from 114 in 2018. While 21 cubs were also detected, conservationists excluded them from the final count due to survival uncertainties.
This is the third such census since 2015 and the most technologically advanced yet, capturing over 7,000 images of tigers in their natural habitat—stretching from the Khulna to the Satkhira ranges. Experts estimate 2.64 tigers per 100 square kilometers, a density unmatched by any other mangrove forest on Earth.
How the Tigers Are Roaring Again
This increase didn’t happen overnight. Years of targeted conservation have helped turn the tide.
Anti-poaching patrols have been intensified. Fencing projects near human settlements reduced deadly tiger-human conflicts. Cyclone shelters and rapid rescue units were put in place to protect both wildlife and local people.
The prey base—especially spotted deer—has also rebounded, giving tigers the food security, they need to thrive.
Behind these changes is the government’s renewed commitment through the Tiger Conservation Action Plan and regional cooperation under the Global Tiger Initiative. International agencies and NGOs have stepped in to fund research, train forest guards, and raise awareness across tiger range countries.
Why This Isn’t Just About Tigers
The Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is more than a national symbol. It’s the guardian of the Sundarbans, a sentinel species whose health mirrors the state of the ecosystem. As an apex predator, the tiger maintains balance: controlling herbivore populations, preventing overgrazing, and indirectly protecting everything from mangrove saplings to migratory birds.
The Sundarbans itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the planet’s most climate-vulnerable biodiversity hotspots. Spanning more than 10,000 km², it shelters not just tigers but over 270 bird species, rare estuarine crocodiles, endangered river dolphins, and a web of life that sustains millions of people in coastal Bangladesh and India.
A Day to Reflect—and Push Forward
International Tiger Day, celebrated annually on July 29, is more than a symbolic date. It traces back to the 2010 St. Petersburg Tiger Summit, where 13 tiger-range countries—including Bangladesh—pledged to double wild tiger numbers by 2022. While not all nations met the target, the momentum continues, and Bangladesh’s recent data shows the TX2 goal remains within reach in some pockets.
This year’s global them “Securing the future of Tigers with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities at the heart’’, underscores that tiger conservation is not just about saving a species, but about diversity matter.
Yet despite the encouraging numbers, challenges loom. Rising sea levels threaten to submerge large parts of the Sundarbans. Human-tiger conflict could rise again as communities expand into tiger corridors. Poaching networks remain active across South Asia. And funding, as always, is fragile.
Still, for today, conservationists, forest rangers, and local villagers who co-exist with these majestic animals have reason to feel proud.
BOB Post
