United News of Bangladesh

One of the first things I noticed, the night I arrived in Bangladesh, was that the moon lies on its side here as if it's smiling. This showed me how far away from home I was, closer to the equator, but also foreshadowed that the main thing the moon causes is stronger here: the tides. The first days in Dhaka were a flood of impressions. Fantastic impressions — of Iftars with the tastiest food — to playing guitar in the park. In such a bustling city, where at every street corner, something interesting seems to be going on. Then came the start of our cycling trip: through Dhaka towards the port. On Thursday afternoon (March 27), we criss-crossed through broad motorways surrounded by hordes of tuktuks, rikshaws, trucks, motors, making a chaotic symphony of honks, toots, and sirens, as well as narrow alleys full of shoppers, stalls, and all sorts of different shops. The people were leaving Dhaka for their hometowns to celebrate the final days of Ramadan, and we were right in between this high tide, flowing back into a sea of villages. Buzzing in my head on the boat/launch towards Barishal, catching any sleep was no easy feat, so it failed, but fueled by excitement around 6 am we arrived and started cycling. How far? Around 120 km. How long? Hopefully we'll be there before sunset. Now we were complete, four Bagh Bikers on their way towards the Sundarbans, and after some first kilometers on the main roads, we gathered the courage and curiosity to try out the little and adventurous roads. Finally, ebbed, because although we were biking slower now, we saw so much beauty along the way: beautiful landscapes, forest, fields, and little villages.

The Sundarbans, nestled between India and Bangladesh, is the largest mangrove forest in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. My recent trip to the Bangladesh Sundarbans with my family and friends was nothing short of a life-changing experience. This extraordinary place isn’t just a forest; it’s a world teeming with vibrant life and an incredible example of human-nature coexistence. What I saw, learned, and experienced there will stay with me forever. We started our trip from Dhaka, and it took us just over five hours to reach the ‘TigerHouse’ at WildTeam Conservation Biology Centre, Joymoni, near Mongla, Bagerhat. There, we were warmly welcomed by Dr Md Anwarul Islam, CEO of WildTeam. The Museum of the TigerHouse featured many taxidermies and preserved specimens of different animals from around the Sundarbans. After a short break and refreshment, the Village Tiger Response Team (VTRT) also demonstrated how they protect the villagers from tiger attacks when tigers stray into the village.   When it comes to saving tigers and conserving wildlife around the Sundarbans these local volunteers are real heroes. They have dedicated their lives to this noble cause. For me, listening to their stories and seeing their courage up close was incredibly humbling. They in a way embody the delicate balance between humans and wildlife that defines the Sundarbans. We met the BaghBandhus – the friends of tigers and the TigerScouts and listened to how they are involved in tiger conservation in the Sundarbans.  It was not easy to engage the local communities in tiger conservation when their dear ones were taken over by tigers.  The next morning, we went on a boating excursion through the network of waterways that crisscrossed the Sundarbans. The beautiful sunrise and the morning lifestyle of the villagers contrasted with the constant hustle and bustle of city life. Professor Anwar guided us throughout the trip and gave us a lot of information about the humongous mangrove forest. I was astonished by the variety of flora and fauna and their different ways of survival instincts. There were a lot of ‘Sundari’ trees that are in fact the alveoli of the Sundarbans, which are like the lungs of Bangladesh and the broader South Asia region.  The mangrove trees can reach incredible heights and have been providing the community with resources for daily living. However, the Sundari trees have been affected by an unknown top-dying disease, which made this plant species globally threatened.  We took a stop at the Harbaria Ecotourism Center, which was located at the heart of the Sundarbans. The forest rangers showed us around the park and provided us with various information about the wildlife in the Sundarbans.  The fresh pugmarks of tigers, calls of red jungle fowl and the crested serpent eagle and a variety of breathing roots attracted me most.  It was a new experience to see how some of the mangrove species take oxygen through their breathing roots, the pneumatophores.  From the moment I stepped into the Sundarbans, I was surrounded by nature's wonders. One of my most memorable moments was watching a pair of Brahminy Kites glide effortlessly above the dense mangroves.