ENDANGERED SPECIES
Only 100 Bengal Tigers Left in Famed Sundarbans
Bangladesh has only about 100 tigers living in the world's largest mangrove forest, far fewer of the endangered animals than previously thought, following a recent survey, a top forestry official said Monday.
Some 440 tigers were recorded during the previous census conducted in 2004 in the World Heritage-listed Sundarbans, one of the world's last remaining habitats for the big cats.
But experts said better methodology was the reason for the huge drop in the numbers, saying hidden cameras used this time around, rather than pug marks, gave a much more accurate figure.
Tapan Kumar Dey, analysis of camera footage from the year-long survey that ended in April found numbers ranged between 83 and 130, giving an average of 106.
"So plus or minus we have around 106 tigers in our parts of the Sundarbans. It's a more accurate figure," Dey told AFP of the survey, which has not yet been publicly released.
About 74 tigers have previously been counted on the Indian side of the Sundarbans, which makes up nearly 40 percent of the forest straddling both countries over 10,000 square kilometres (3,860 square miles).
Bengal tigers live mainly in India, where nationwide there are 2,226, with smaller populations in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Myanmar.
Monirul Khan, a zoology professor at Bangladesh's Jahangirnagar University and the nation's foremost tiger expert, said the new survey confirmed his worst fears.
"It seems the population has declined (in the past) to more than what we had feared," Khan said, saying his studies showed the figure was no more than 200.
Khan said the government needed to do more to protect the animals, whose numbers were shrinking because of poaching and rapid development on the edge of the forest.
The World Wildlife Fund says tigers worldwide are in serious danger of becoming extinct in the wild. Their numbers have fallen from 100,000 in 1900 to around 3,200 now.
Officials have conceded that the pugmark tracking system used in 2004 was unreliable and cameras were installed in trees throughout the forest for the latest survey.
Y.V. Jhala, professor at the Wildlife Institute of India, told AFP the new figure was the "reality".
"The 440 figure was a myth and an imagination. Bangladesh parts of the Sundarbans with its prey size can support up to 200 tigers," he said, also urging authorities to act to better protect the cats.
Here’s a detailed overview of the claim that “only ~100 Bengal tiger (subspecies Panthera tigris tigris) remain in the Sundarbans (Bangladesh side)”, summarising what the data shows, why the numbers are contested, and what it all means.
1. What the numbers say
A survey of the Bangladesh portion of the Sundarbans concluded that the tiger population ranged between 83 and 130 individuals (average ~106) based on camera-trap data.
www.ndtv.com
This was a dramatic drop from a previous figure of ~440 tigers reported in 2004 in that region.
More recently, a 2024/25 survey reported the number has risen to 125 in the Bangladesh side of the Sundarbans.
The Business Standard
So the “~100 left” figure is roughly correct for a certain time-period (mid-2010s) and for the Bangladesh side only—but it does not reflect the most recent data or the entire Sundarbans ecosystem (including the Indian side).
2. Why the big drop & why the numbers changed
Several factors help explain why the number went from ~440 (2004) down to ~100 (2015) in estimates, and then upward again more recently:
Methodology change: The earlier high estimate (~440) was based on pug-marks and less rigorous methods; the newer survey used camera traps which provided more reliable data.
Habitat & prey limitations: Experts argue that the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans can realistically support up to ~200 tigers given prey availability and mangrove habitat constraints.
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Threats: Poaching, habitat loss (including from coastal erosion, rising sea level, salinity intrusion), and human-wildlife conflict have all pressured the population.
Earth Journalism Network
Recovery efforts: The recent uptick to ~125 suggests conservation efforts are having some positive effect (though numbers are still very small).
3. What the “~100” figure means & what it doesn’t
What it means:
It reflected a serious conservation concern: the population in the Bangladesh Sundarbans was extremely low and vulnerable.
It triggered more attention, policy efforts, and monitoring changes.
What it doesn’t mean:
It does not mean there are only ~100 Bengal tigers globally. Far from it: the total wild tiger population (all subspecies) is in the low thousands globally.
It also doesn’t capture the Indian side of the Sundarbans (which has its own tiger count). The figure cited (~100) is only for the Bangladesh side.
It doesn’t mean the number will stay static—or that the population is stable—just that at the time of the survey the estimated count was very low.
4. Why this matters
The Sundarbans mangrove forest is one of the last viable habitats for tigers in coastal mangrove ecosystems; the Bengal tiger here is a flagship species.
Very low populations (e.g., ~100) suffer from genetic bottlenecks, limited mate choice, higher vulnerability to stochastic events (storms, disease) and human-impacts.
For conservationists and governments, the figure served as a wake-up call: “If the rate of decline continues, this population could collapse.”
The increase to ~125 is positive, but the number remains very small for a large habitat area: sparse density, high risk.
5. Key takeaway
Yes — it is accurate to say that at one point (around 2015) there were only about ~100 Bengal tigers estimated in the Bangladesh side of the Sundarbans. The figure was approximate, based on best available survey methods. More recently, the number has increased modestly to ~125. While this is encouraging, the population is still critically small and under serious threat.
