36 people killed by tigers in 4 months in Bangladesh

36 people killed by tigers in 4 months in Bangladesh

Updated May 25, 2009 01:00 AM

DHAKA, (Xinhua) — Thirty six people were killed by tigers in the world’s largest mangrove forest Sundarbans in southwestern Bangladesh during the first four months of this year.

These victims were poor people living around the Sundarbans and they fell prey to tigers when they went to deep forest to collect honey, wood, and went for fishing in the rivers.

Dilip Kumar Bowmik, chief executive of the Shamnagar sub- district in southwestern Satkhira district of Bangladesh in a cell phone interview with Xinhua said yesterday.

Bowmik said at least 100 people are killed by tigers in the Sundarbans annually.

Bowmik thought the residents living around Sundarbans should be taken to other profession reducing their dependence on the largest mangrove forest.

“If their dependence on the Sundarbans is reduced, the tigers will also be safe,” Bowmik said.

For safety, villagers usually kill tigers wandering too close to their villages and experts estimate that over a dozen tigers are killed annually by villagers in Bangladesh every year.

Bowmik said they have rehabilitation plan of the families of victims.

“If they apply to us, they can get highest 10,000 taka (about 142 U.S. dollars) for assistance,” he said.

Sundarbans is the home to Royal Bengal Tigers. According to estimate by local officials, the tiger population was around 500 in 2007.

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