Bengal Tiger In Danger
Climate change is driving the Royal Bengal Tiger, celebrated monarch of the Sundarbans, from its natural habitat in search of food, say experts—leading to tragic consequences for the already critically endangered species in its encounters with humans. Two tigers have been beaten to death by villagers this year in Bangladesh's Bagerhat and Satkhira districts.
Climate change is driving the Royal Bengal Tiger, celebrated monarch of the Sundarbans, from its natural habitat in search of food, say experts—leading to tragic consequences for the already critically endangered species in its encounters with humans. Two tigers have been beaten to death by villagers this year in Bangladesh's Bagerhat and Satkhira districts.
According to different reports, up to a dozen of the big cats are killed every year by villagers living in the areas contiguous to the Sundarbans. Seven tigers were killed by locals in the Satkhira district's Shyamnagar area alone in the last decade. Some blame the deaths on failure by forest officials to properly inform local people of the correct way to deal with straying tigers.
A major reason for more frequent straying by tigers may be a growing prey crisis due greater frequency of cyclones and tidal surges triggered by climate change, say experts.
A survey in 2004 estimated just 419 Bengal Tigers remaining in the wild in Bangladesh, but some dispute the number saying the real count may as few as 200.
The critically endangered tigers have been seen to leave their jungle habitat most frequently at two forest ranges in Bangladesh—Burhigoalini range in Satkhira and Sharankhola range in Bagerhat. As the forest floors of the ranges have been inundated by natural disasters, wildlife populations are destroyed, including wild boar and deer, two traditional prey of the Sundarban tigers. The scarcity of prey animals is compelling the endangered tigers to leave their forest cover and look for food in open areas of human habitation.
The Bengal tiger, or Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), is a tiger subspecies native to india,bangladesh ,nepal , and has been classified as endangered by IUCN as the population is estimated at fewer than 2,500 individuals with a decreasing trend. None of theTiger Conservation Landscapes within the Bengal's tiger range are large enough to support an effective population size of 250.
The Bengal tiger is the most numerous of the tiger subspecies — with populations estimated at 1,706 in India, 200 in Bangladesh, 155 in Nepal and 67–81 in Bhutan.
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