How much devastation cyclone Remal has caused to life and property in Bangladesh will take some more time before it is fully comprehended and estimated. So far, as could be learnt, around 4.59 million people have been affected and some 150,000 households in 19 coastal districts have suffered extensive damage. About 10 to 12 feet high tidal surge swept away everything that came in its way. Those were not only farm animals, fish and other assets of the affected people, but also animals and plants of the Sundarbans. Reports say, the damage done to the flora and fauna that are part of the delicate ecosystem of the Sundarbans has been worse than that inflicted by the previous cyclones like Sidr, Aila and Amphan. Reports have it that Remal has uprooted more than 12,300 trees. 'Golpata' (nipa palm) grove stretching over 11 km-long forest area was also destroyed by the cyclone.
Retention of the salty floodwater for about 36 hours on the forest floor did immense harm to the ecosystem, especially the freshwater reservoirs including about a hundred ponds that have been contaminated by seawater to the detriment of fish and other forest life. Forest officials have recovered carcasses of a few dozen spotted deer. A dead wild boar was also among the carcasses found on the forest floor. Other forest animals including snakes and monitor lizards have also perished. Tiger cubs might have been carried away by the high tide, reports suggest. Amid such distressing developments, the report that forest department people rescued some stranded spotted deer and released them in the forest is heartening. It was indeed a commendable job done by those forest officials.
Spotted deer and wild boar constitute a major food source of the Bengal tigers. A study titled, 'Status of Tiger Prey Species in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh' conducted earlier found that the population of spotted deer increased to a comfortable number close to 150,000. That was definitely good news since 79 per cent of the animals that the Bengal tiger preys on are spotted deer. This number is higher than that found in the previous censuses done on deer and other species that serve as food for the Bengal tiger. So, it would be advisable now for the forest department as well as other organisations concerned about the Sundarbans to conduct a fresh study to see how far the populations of species like deer, boar and other animals on which Bengal tigers feed have been affected by Remal. It is not just for the wellbeing of Bengal tigers that such a study is necessary. In fact, the interdependence of the wildlife and plants that make the Sundarbans is all about the mangrove forest's ecosystem. Natural or manmade catastrophes can destroy the biodiversity of the mangrove forest and thereby disrupt its ecosystem irreversibly. And an assessment of the losses sustained by the mangrove forest's flora and fauna due to the cyclone would help take early measures for damage control.
It would be worthwhile to note at this point that conservation efforts made by the government have, of late, been paying dividends. The last survey done in 2018 found only 114 tigers in the Bangladesh portion of the Sundarbans whereas the number was 440 according to a similar study done in 2004. A fresh study is reportedly underway using camera trapping method which has been indicating a healthy growth in the number of the big cats of Sundarbans. The final result of this study is scheduled to be made public next month on the International Tiger Day (July 29). In that case, it will be a matter of concern if it is found that the May 27's seaborne calamity has been instrumental in reversing the healthy trend of an increase in the population of tigers and their prey.
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