'Tiger conservation must become a daily practice rather than a celebration on international days'

Khasru Chowdhury, an eminent Sundarbans and tiger expert, spent many years studying tigers in the Sundarbans. He also has written numerous essays on tigers.

On the occasion of International Tiger Day, observed on 29 July, The Business Standard conducted an interview with him, shedding light on his dedicated work with tigers and sharing insights into the current status and future outlook for tigers in Bangladesh.

How did you become interested in wildlife?

My father was a police officer. He was transferred to the village areas of Barisal and Faridpur. We also had to be with my father. As a result my 'peer group' did not develop. During that time I found solace in the rural forests. Apart from studying, I was more attracted to fishing, bird hunting and petting wild animals. Since then, wildlife has become my field of interest.

How did you get attracted to tigers?

Look, the tiger is a legendary animal. A very powerful creature of great heritage. You cannot ignore the tiger's courage, strength, power, size and impact on the forest. You will notice that there is much more literature about tigers—whether hunting stories or literature—than any other wildlife.

People of every country where tigers live consider the tiger as the ultimate symbol of national pride. In February 1974, I entered the Sundarbans with a group of poachers. At that time I got an idea of how the tiger's psyche works on the local people. Even the strongest man in the world cannot survive ten minutes with a full-grown tiger with his bare hands. It can kill me, it can overpower me—this idea made me respect the tiger.

When did you start writing about tigers?

I started writing ten years after that. In the meantime, I had entered Sundarbans at least five times. In 1985, along with my hunting guru Akhtaruzzaman, Humayun Khan, the author of Pachabdi Gazi's hunting stories, we travelled to various areas of East and West Sundarbans for about twenty days. Pachabadi Gazi was our companion on that journey.

However, I had met him in 1979. After that, with the encouragement of poet Rafique Azad, I used to write regularly at first in Weekly Robibar and from 1988 onwards in Weekly Bichitra. I have been writing for The Daily Star since 1992. In 1989, I started tracking tigers in the forest for four months under the auspices of the forest department.

Weren't you scared?

I was indeed scared. You may have gone into the forests with a lot of preparation reading a lot about tigers. You may feel relaxed in the jungle. But the sight of tiger footprints or dung would send shivers down your spine. The woods always gave you a sense that someone was watching you from behind, no matter how you interpreted the signs. Witnessing the aftermath of a tiger's kill will leave your heart in shock, making you feel that you are just a lump of flesh.

If you pursue tigers for extended periods, fear would grip you. I sometimes felt as if my destiny was tied to the tiger's paw. To overcome this condition, I found myself spending hours sitting next to tiger cages at the zoo.

Jim Corbett called the tiger the 'gentleman of the forest'. What do you think?

See, many English military officers, civilians hunted tigers in the subcontinent. Many of them have written books on their experiences. They called the tiger a 'large hearted gentleman' to disparage the natives. Corbett only echoed them. For example, if a tiger is injured, if it is unable to hunt, it kills people, this is also not Corbett's own invention. He just echoes previous hunters. I have known at least two cases where old and feeble tigers died naturally and did not become man-eaters.

Now is the time for science oriented specialists. How do you see your position there?

Look, I am one of the last people to evolve from a hunter to a conservationist. If you notice, none of the enthusiasts of the World Wildlife Fund, Cat Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission were educated biologists. The call for forest conservation, tiger projects came from amateur naturalists, not biologists.

Jim Corbett, Guy Mountfort, Peter Jackson, Valmik Thapar—none of them were biologists. Again, biologists like George Shellor, Hubert Hendrichs, Alan Robinowitz have played a great role in tiger studies. There is no conflict between scientists and naturalists.

Biologists often work on project-based funding, and their work halts when funds deplete. But people like Dr Reza Khan, Dr Mustafa Feroz, and Dr Monirul Khan are driven by passion rather than funding. They travel to forests with the roaring spirit, undeterred by financial limitations.

You were once a staunch opponent of radio tracking of tigers. Do you still think so?

My first objection is moral. Putting a solitary, independent intelligent large animal like a tiger under constant monitoring by attaching a heavy radio collar is something no sane person should tolerate.

Second, the way the tiger is rendered unconscious with a strong sedative and wearing the collar makes the tiger extremely weak. They often die or die after a few days. In the muddy jungles of the Sundarbans, tigers have to come down to water regularly. It's an awkward device to carry, with mud often sticking to the belt, creating an uncomfortable situation.

Above all, the animal should not be chased all the time in the name of monitoring. One cannot expect from such a tiger its natural movements. The work is done to get an idea about the tiger's territory. The simple calculation is that where there is more hunting, there will be more tiger density. We need to understand the holding capacity of forests. That is possible by knowing the number of prey animals.

The number of tigers is increasing in India, why not in Bangladesh?

In 2010, the World Bank took an initiative to double the number of tigers in the world's 13 tiger-dwelling countries. But their optimism was not based on reality. Except for India and Nepal, the number of tigers has decreased significantly in other countries. India is different. The concept of sanctuary has been around in India since long before the western concept of conservation. 

Kautilya discussed preserving forests in ancient times. Mughal emperor Jahangir was a remarkable wildlife observer of his time. These wild animals are known as incarnations of gods. Rural Indians know how to coexist with wildlife. After the Indian economy started to become strong in the 1970s, Indians no longer encouraged foreign "avatar biologists''. They have assigned their own expert with their own financing in this regard.

On the other hand, in Bangladesh, Nepal and other South-East Asian countries, the projects are being carried out with the help of so-called experts with foreign funding.

Are you against the western conservation concept?

It is not about opposing the concept. We have many things in our local way of life which should be upgraded. Western ideas come from the higher authorities. But the people who are living near the tiger, no discussion is done with them. In Southeast Asian countries, the western "white avatar" biologists are so entrenched in our brains as if they are the last hope. Without them we are immobile. Wildlife channels or conservationist magazines portray them as avatars. But it is not rocket science that our scientists and naturalists cannot do.

Sometimes I think that those who are responsible for the destruction of forests in Southeast Asia are giving us some money for conservation.

But money is necessary, isn't it?

Of course it is. As a middle-income country, we now possess a newfound self-esteem. Raising funds from our own sources is feasible. The government could initiate a fundraising scheme and encourage the support of wealthy individuals. Introducing lottery programmes for tiger conservation can generate substantial funds while raising awareness among a larger population about tiger conservation efforts.

Tigers in Sundarbans are more prone to man-eating than other tigers. What is the reason for this?

The tigers in Sundarbans live a very difficult life. As a forest, Sundarbans is not the natural choice of the tiger. Although the tiger likes water a bit more than other cats, the constantly wet forest floor is not comfortable for them.

Their muscles cramp as they walk miles after miles of chest-drenched mud. If its scent marking is washed away by tides, home range marking needs to be sprayed with fluid more often. This can lead to mood swings from dehydration. After tidal surges, you will see that the tendency of tigers to kill people increases. The reason is that the tiger loses its territory and becomes disoriented.

Tigers possess a simple and smaller digestive system, making them hungry quickly. Their suitable prey primarily includes pigs and deer. When tiger cubs are around two to three months old, encounters with honey collectors and fishermen occur at close range. Tigers understand the clumsiness in human movements. Non-traditional foods like fish and crabs can cause digestive issues for tigers. These various complications contribute to Sundarbans tigers occasionally resorting to man-eating behaviours.

When a tiger becomes a man-eater, its health significantly declines. To hunt humans, a tiger, which is typically nocturnal, must adapt to diurnal behaviour. Interestingly, snakes cause fifty times more human deaths in our country than tigers, yet deaths from snakebites are often viewed as normal. However, if a tiger kills a person, it sparks anger because of the man-eating behaviour. Completely eradicating the trend of tigers killing people may be challenging, but it is possible to take measures to reduce such incidents.

The government wants to release tigers in Chattogram Hill Tracts. How do you see it?

I don't see much of a future for it. In this region, security forces are engaged in clashes with armed rebel groups. Removing weapons from that region seems unlikely for the next fifty years. This is the harsh reality of the situation.

What should we do to save the tiger?

The foremost task is to offer alternative employment to the villagers residing near the Sundarbans, keeping them away from the forest. Addressing the critical issue of fish and shrimp killing by poachers using poison requires strict measures. The unsustainable crab-catching rate poses a grave threat to the forest's existence and must be curbed. The lower level employees of the forest department do not understand modern forest conservation. Many of them help poachers by taking bribes.

Gradual removal of shrimp and crab farms is necessary. Tiger conservation must become a daily practice rather than a celebration on international days. The issue needs to be included in the school textbooks.

Khasru Chowdhury

Khasru Chowdhury, an eminent Sundarbans and tiger expert, spent many years studying tigers in the Sundarbans. He also has written numerous essays on tigers.