Bangladesh is considering translocating tigers to the Chittagong Hill Tracts, where there are currently no confirmed tiger populations.
The country’s 125 tigers are now confined to the Sundarbans, a climate-vulnerable mangrove landscape shared with India.
Officials say the Chittagong hills could offer a viable future habitat, but experts say detailed feasibility studies and community consultations are essential.
Conservationists warn that tiger translocations are expensive, difficult and have often failed, making habitat protection and cross-border connectivity with India critical.
As India conducts its countrywide tiger estimation, its neighbour Bangladesh has plans to translocate tigers in the tribal-dominated Chittagong Hill Tracts in the near future. At present, there are no tigers in this rugged, hilly area.
Over a WhatsApp call, Md Jahidul Kabir, the deputy chief conservator of forests of the Bangladesh Forest Department, informed that his country has a roadmap for the conservation of this iconic species, which is now only confined to the Sundarbans. A deltaic region spanning India and Bangladesh, it is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site dominated by mangroves, creeks, and estuaries.
The total area of the Sundarbans, comprising India and Bangladesh, is approximately 10,000 sq. km. Of this, Bangladesh holds 6,017 sq. km, which is 60 percent of the total area. According to the last census carried out in 2024, there are 125 tigers in Bangladesh. The animals are now confined to the Sundarbans but this could change once the translocation plan to the Chittagong Hill Tracts is passed. There is also the potential for collaboration with India.
Kabir completed his studies in India, with past travels to New Delhi, Kolkata, and the Indian Sundarbans. His most recent visit to the country was in 2023. “The Chittagong Hill Tracts represent a suitable and viable habitat that maintains connectivity with India. However, it is necessary to consider the holistic picture,” he said.
Kabir, who holds a degree from the Wildlife Trust of India, had always wanted to work in the Sundarbans region of Bangladesh. He mentioned that way back in 2004, there were an estimated 440 tigers based on a joint estimation conducted under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project, which relied on pugmarks. However, the exercise was flawed.
Since that time, the tiger population has consistently remained above 100. Systemic camera-trap monitoring between 2013 and 2015 documented 106 tigers in Bangladesh. This population grew to 114 in 2018 and reached 125 individuals by 2024. Kabir noted that the official objective is to increase these numbers to between 160 and 200 tigers by 2035, adding, “It is tough, but the target has been set.” Progress is monitored via a national census every three years, subject to financial resources.
According to the officer, the Sundarbans region is currently grappling with multiple threats, from environmental pollution and climate shifts to poaching and a shrinking prey population. Rising anxieties over a potential canine distemper outbreak further complicate these conservation efforts.
In the meantime, tigers are receiving adequate protection in Bangladesh. Killas, or earthen mounds, have been constructed by the forest department to create higher ground, which is used by tigers as well as other animals like deer. This offers protection from floods and high tides caused by rising sea levels due to climate change. Furthermore, some areas in both parts of the Sundarbans are losing mangrove species, particularly the dominant Sundari trees from which the forest derives its name. This destruction has directly impacted tiger habitats.
But there is hope. “The tigers in the Sundarbans region are smaller and naturally live at low densities because of the low prey densities the habitat can support (except in one corner of Bangladesh where there are some grasslands and more chital). If they are protected effectively, and commercial exploitation is reduced, the overall region can sustain tigers,” said Ullas Karanth, India’s leading tiger expert.
Sarwar Alam Dipu, a prominent expert at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Bangladesh office, discussed a wildlife corridor project where collaboration took place with Indian scientists in the Chittagong region.
Kasalong is a remote tribal area surrounded by villages and hamlets, where the threat of poaching and hunting persists. It is a vast reserve forest that has not been declared a national park yet. The forest department has identified around 100 sq. km of high-quality forest and aims to declare it a protected area for tiger relocation through boundary demarcation, mapping, and community consultation
“There is no evidence of tigers in the Chittagong Hill Tracts now. But around four years ago, there was evidence of pugmarks in Kasalong, which is close to Dampa in India. The residents interviewed at that time reported seeing tigers. So, based on these interviews, tigers may have been spotted, existed, or may even be using this landscape. Camera traps revealed good wildlife in and around Kasalong. Dhole, clouded leopard, leopard, bear, and sambar deer have been documented,” Dipu said.
Dipu explained that there has been a debate over tiger relocation, as at present Bangladesh has only a single tiger population in the Sundarbans and it is vulnerable. However, there is a need for a detailed study on habitat and feasibility.
Since Kasalong is mostly undisturbed, it is hoped that human-wildlife conflict will remain minimal. In India, there is an intense debate over the relocation of tribal communities from tiger reserves to ensure unhindered conservation. India launched Project Tiger in 1973, and the country now hosts 3,682 tigers.
According to Ullas Karanth, most tiger translocation projects have failed, causing problems for both local communities and the released tigers. Furthermore, these initiatives are extremely expensive. “As far as I know, the hilly forests of Bangladesh are adjacent to forests in Meghalaya and other parts of North-East India. It might be more sustainable to protect the area and hope tigers from India can recolonize it eventually.”
Meanwhile, Dipu emphasised that killas are a great way of offering protection to wildlife in the Sundarbans. There is a plan to construct around 10 more after the monsoon season to help the forest department.