Forest stations unwilling to take responsibility for tiger’s death

Three forest stations in the Satkhira Range of the Sundarbans refuse to take responsibility for the death of a tiger whose body was recovered on Sunday from near a canal in the mangrove forest.

The body of the tigress was buried in the Dobeki Forest camp after a veterinary doctor from Satkhira took samples for an autopsy on Monday.

Burigowalini Forest Station Officer (Satkhira Range of Sundarbans) Sultan Ahmed said, the body of a female Bengal tiger was recovered from the connecting point of the Chunkuri and Mahmuda canals in the West Sundarbans mangrove forest of Satkhira. The area is under the Kaikhali Forest station.

However, Kaikhali Forest station (Satkhira Range) officer Harun or Rashid Bepari said he does not know anything about the issue as he was on leave when the tiger's body was recovered.  "I came to know later that the tiger was found in the Morgong area which falls under the jurisdiction of Kadamtala forest station" he said.

Kadamtala Station Officer Kamruzzaman said the area where the dead tigress was found is not under the Kadamtala Forest Station but the Morgung patrol camp of Kaikhali Forest station. "I do not know further details" he said.  

MA Hasan, assistant forest conservator of Satkhira Range told The Business Standard that "The tigress died of old age. It was 13-14 years old. We suspect the tiger, because of her age, lost the ability to hunt. Her teeth were in a decaying state."

But samples were collected from the dead tiger and an autopsy will be performed after sending them to Dhaka, he further added.

The divisional forest officer (DFO) of the Sundarbans Forest Department visited the spot and saw the dead tigress.

There are allegations that it was not a normal death of a tiger. It fell victim to a wire trap laid by poachers.  

Khulna Divisional Forest Officer Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain was not available for comment after recovery of the tiger's body.