Villagers Told to Tranquilize, Not Kill Tigers

[Starlyte]

Forest wardens will teach villagers in southern Bangladesh to tranquillize rather than kill tigers that stray onto their property after local people beat three of the endangered animals to death, an official said Tuesday.

Residents of a village bordering the Sunderbans, the world's largest mangrove forest and the natural habitat of the Bengal tiger, have killed three tigers in the past week, divisional forest officer Tariqul Islam told AFP.

Experts believe only 5,000 to 6,000 Bengal tigers are left worldwide, with an estimated 500 in the Sunderbans.

"We want to prevent villagers killing the tigers so we will train them to work with us to tranquillize them. Then we will return the tigers to the forest," Islam said.

Under the plan, residents who spot tigers will telephone forest officials who will send in wardens and trained villagers to tranquillize the animals.

Officials said local people were living in terror of the tigers that had strayed into the village of Sharonkhola.

"The forest in that part of the Sunderbans is very dense so the tigers have to come out to catch prey and find drinking water," Islam said.

Each year tigers kill numerous people — mostly honey collectors and fishermen — in the Sunderbans, a vast forest of 6,000 square kilometers (3,720 square miles) that straddles Bangladesh and India.

Name: Bengal Tiger, aka Indian Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)

Primary Classification: Felidae (Cats)

Location: India and Southeast Asia.

Habitat: Tropical forest and grassland.

Diet: Deer, antelope, wild pig and water buffalo.

Size: Up to 10 feet in length and 575 lbs in weight.

Description: Reddish-orange coat with black, vertical stripes; white underside, cheeks and eye areas; broad, muscular body; long, sensitive whiskers; long legs with sharp, retractable claws; long tail

Cool Facts: It has been known to kill and eat crocodiles. It can leap more than 30 feet in a single bound, climb trees and swim for miles. Its roar can be heard almost two miles away.

Conservation Status: Endangered

Major Threats: Poaching and habitat loss.

What Can I Do?: Visit the Wildlife Protection Society of India, TigerAid, and Global Tiger Patrol for further information on how you can help.

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[doomgirl]

I think they should work on the problem of ppl moving into Tiger terriorty to. They take over their land and wonder why the Tigers are in their village. They clear the forest to plant crops which scares of the Tigers natural prey, then what do they have left. Fisherman and Honey collectors . Then when one of them are attacted they kill the poor animal