A Royal Bengal Tiger has been trapped in a snare set by deer poachers in the Sundarbans near Boiragi Bari along Sarkir canal in Mongla upazila of Bagerhat district.

A local fisherman first spotted the tiger inside the trap around noon on Saturday, about half a kilometre away from human habitation in the Sundarbans East Division and informed forest officials.

Upon receiving the information, members of the Forest Department rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area, said Dipan Chandra Das, Assistant Conservator of Forests of Chandpai Range under the Sundarbans East Division.

Full-scale rescue efforts began from Sunday noon to free the tiger, he said.

Divisional Forest Officer of Sundarbans East Division Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said all necessary measures have been taken to rescue the animal.

“A specialised Forest Department team is working at the site. If required, a tranquiliser gun will be used,” he said adding that the expert team reached the location on Sunday morning.

He said if the tiger is found sick or injured, it will be placed in an iron cage and transferred to a Forest Department rescue centre in Khulna or Dhaka.

“If the tiger remains healthy, it will be released back into the Sundarbans. The final decision will be taken based on expert recommendations after the rescue,” the DFO added.

Prof Mohammad Anwarul Islam, chief executive of Wild Team, said the tiger has been suffering severely since being trapped on Saturday especially amid the ongoing cold condition.

“The tiger should have been rescued earlier. Due to the absence of a dedicated veterinary surgeon in the Sundarbans the rescue could not be carried out until noon on Sunday,” he said.

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He stressed the urgent need for permanent veterinary surgeons for both the Sundarbans East and West divisions.

“The Forest Department is not adequately prepared for wildlife emergencies. The tiger is struggling inside the trap and may get injured. After rescue, it will require proper medical treatment,” he said.

Members of the Village Tiger Response Team have been guarding the area alongside Forest Department personnel since Saturday night, he added.

According to Forest Department data, camera trap surveys show that the number of tigers in the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans stood at 125 as of October 2024.

The number was previously estimated at 114 in 2018 and 106 in 2015.

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