Under the umbrella of the “Sundarbans Tiger Conservation Project,” research on diagnosing tigers in the Sundarbans and animals that are thought to be tiger food began last night. The goal of this research is to better understand the diseases that affect tigers as well as the bacteria and viruses that are impacted by animal food.
Dr. Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain, the divisional forest officer for the Sundarbans West Division in Khulna, informed BSS today that the study program’s activities began last night.
The duration of the research programme is one year and six months with an estimated cost of Tk 2 Crore, Dr Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain said, adding that a team of eight researches from different universities of the country, headed by Prof Sultan Ahmed of Sylhet Agricultural University, are associated with this research programme.
According to Dr. Abu Naser, in order for the research to be effective, a total of 250 samples from 65 research stations under the four ranges of the Sundarbans will be collected over the course of 15 days.
According to him, the researchers will determine whether or not tigers, deer, monkeys, and pigs are afflicted with any viruses or bacteria. Animals that have been infected by viruses will receive vaccinations first in order to recover.
Lastly, he said, appropriate medical measures will be implemented for the tigers in order to shield them from viruses-related illnesses.
In the history of Bangladesh, this is the first time to research the diagnosis of animals in the Sundarbans, so, it will be clear whether animals like tiger, deer, monkey and pig are infected with any bacteria or virus or not, he said.
Talking to the researchers, it is known that tiger excrement, fur, bones and various body samples of deer, monkey and pig will be collected as samples for the research.
Additionally, blood samples from cats and dogs in the vicinity of the forest will be gathered. The researchers stated that they will also conduct research on the genetic traits of the tigers. “We will try to find out whether the local animals are getting the same type of infection as the tiger, deer, monkey, and pig researchers said.”
According to authorities at the Forest Department, the Sundarbans spanned 6.17 thousand square kilometers. Of the overall area, 1.185 thousand square kilometers are marsh area and 4.832 thousand square kilometers are deep forest.
A total of 289 species of animals live in the Sundarbans. Apart from this, a total of 219 species of aquatic animals live here, Forest Department sources said.
