Tiger census in Sundarbans begins

A joint team of the Department of Forest and conservation organisation WildTeam will launch a 75-day tiger census in the Sundarbans on Wednesday, also the Sundarbans Day, reports UNB.

A team of 56 officials will set up 478 camera traps at 239 grid points in the Sundarbans to track the number of tigers, according to forest department sources.

This survey will be inaugurated at Nelkamal's Heron point and will continue for 75 days. The data collected from the research will be published in January 2019.

The most recent census which concluded in 2015 recorded a tiger population of only 106 in the Sundarbans, down from 440 in 2004.

Meanwhile, social welfare minister Rashed Khan Menon will inaugurate the Sundarbans Day programme at 10:00am at Khulna Press Club on Wednesday aiming to raise awareness among people about the importance of protecting the world's largest mangrove forest.