Tougher wildlife act required to protect Bengal Tigers
Thursday, 1 July 2010
The world has witnessed the loss of more than 97,000 tigers over the last 100 years. Today, specialists say there are less than 3000 tigers spread across 14 countries, reports UNB.
If it took 100 years for 97,000 tigers to be extirpated, one may easily imagine how much, or rather how little time, it might take for the remaining 3000 to disappear. Thus the tiger population today is on the verge of extinction.
According to the Worldwide Fund for Nature, there are some 2,100 Bengal tigers alive today, of which India alone has 1,411. Bangladesh Sundarbans is the home of the largest single unit of Bengal tigers in the world with an estimated 300-500 tigers.
Bangladesh, therefore, has an opportunity to contribute significantly to the conservation of tigers and to benefit from their continued presence. However, tigers are threatened in Bangladesh by direct loss, prey depletion, and habitat degradation.
To improve the situation, the country needs a tougher law in the vein of what the Union Environment and Forests Ministry of India is now proposing.
In the amendment proposed to the Wildlife Protection Act of India, it is said that any illegal hunting in tiger reserves or any attempt to encroach on reserved land in the country could incur a jail term of not less than 7 years and a fine up to Rupees 5.0 million (Tk 7.4 million).
At present, the punishment that is mentioned in the Bangladesh Wildlife Act is a maximum of 2 years imprisonment with a maximum fine of Tk 2000. This needs to be revised urgently. It is understood that the government has recently initiated the revision process. Tiger conservationists expect the revised punishment to be in line with what is being proposed in India.
If it took 100 years for 97,000 tigers to be extirpated, one may easily imagine how much, or rather how little time, it might take for the remaining 3000 to disappear. Thus the tiger population today is on the verge of extinction.
According to the Worldwide Fund for Nature, there are some 2,100 Bengal tigers alive today, of which India alone has 1,411. Bangladesh Sundarbans is the home of the largest single unit of Bengal tigers in the world with an estimated 300-500 tigers.
Bangladesh, therefore, has an opportunity to contribute significantly to the conservation of tigers and to benefit from their continued presence. However, tigers are threatened in Bangladesh by direct loss, prey depletion, and habitat degradation.
To improve the situation, the country needs a tougher law in the vein of what the Union Environment and Forests Ministry of India is now proposing.
In the amendment proposed to the Wildlife Protection Act of India, it is said that any illegal hunting in tiger reserves or any attempt to encroach on reserved land in the country could incur a jail term of not less than 7 years and a fine up to Rupees 5.0 million (Tk 7.4 million).
At present, the punishment that is mentioned in the Bangladesh Wildlife Act is a maximum of 2 years imprisonment with a maximum fine of Tk 2000. This needs to be revised urgently. It is understood that the government has recently initiated the revision process. Tiger conservationists expect the revised punishment to be in line with what is being proposed in India.