Over the past two and a half decades, more Bengal tigers have been killed in the Sundarbans by traffickers than by natural causes, according to data from Bangladesh’s Forest Department. Between this period, 26 tigers were killed by poachers, while 21 died of natural causes. An additional 14 tigers were killed by villagers after wandering into nearby human settlements.
From 2008 to 2015, an average of three tigers were killed annually by locals, as reported in the government’s "Tiger Action Plan 2018–2027." During the same period, authorities also recovered 24 tiger skins, four skulls, and 296 bones. One tiger died due to a natural disaster.
In total, 62 tigers have died in the Sundarbans over the last 25 years. The latest 2024 census put the current population of Bengal tigers in the Sundarbans at 125, up by 11 from the previous survey.
Despite these figures, legal enforcement remains weak. While 19 cases related to tiger killings or the recovery of tiger parts were filed in the last 15 years, verdicts have been delivered in only 10. Of those, six cases resulted in acquittals, while the remaining four yielded various prison sentences. The other nine cases are still pending. In total, 74 people were accused, but most were released on bail and often reoffended, according to local forest officials.
The increase in illegal deer hunting is also of growing concern. Deer constitute nearly 78 percent of a tiger’s diet, with wild boars making up the rest. Inadequate food sources due to poaching can trigger a severe ecological imbalance.
Responding to the growing crisis, the West Sundarbans Forest Division has shifted its patrol strategy. Instead of boat patrols, officers now conduct on-foot inspections, which has led to the discovery and seizure of 142 deer traps and 41 kilograms of venison in June 2025 alone.
Forest officials also report heightened poaching activity in Khulna’s Koyra region. Public awareness campaigns are being conducted in collaboration with Village Tiger Response Teams to educate communities about wildlife protection.
Global concern about the situation in the Sundarbans was highlighted in a 2023 joint study by Panthera, a US-based wildlife organization, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The report revealed that tiger parts from the Sundarbans are trafficked to 15 countries. Yet, most accused traffickers evade justice due to procedural flaws and weak legal prosecution.
Forest court officials confirm this trend. According to GM Kamruzzaman, a retainer at the Khulna Forest Court, only one notable case in the past 16 years resulted in convictions: three individuals were sentenced to five years each for possessing tiger skin.
Unnamed forest officers cited legal inconsistencies as a major issue. In many cases, identical statements are recorded for multiple suspects, weakening the case during cross-examination. Witness testimonies are often insufficient under court scrutiny.
To address these legal challenges, the Forest Department has started offering legal training to its field officers under the Sundarbans Protection Project, with assistance from government prosecutors.
Beyond poaching and legal failures, climate change poses a long-term threat to tiger conservation. Increasing salinity from rising sea levels and upstream water decline is degrading the Sundarbans’ biodiversity. According to Professor MA Aziz, a wildlife biologist at Jahangirnagar University, deer populations are declining, especially in the western Sundarbans, further jeopardizing the tiger’s food chain and survival.
He warned that unchecked industrial expansion near the forest could undermine the entire ecosystem, with tigers—at the top of the food chain—being among the first to suffer.
This World Tiger Day, observed across Bangladesh today, is marked by the theme: “Increase in Tiger Numbers, Growth of the Sundarbans.”
