A female Royal Bengal tiger rescued from a poacher’s snare earlier this year will be released back into the Sundarbans on Sunday after making a full recovery from severe injuries.
The Forest Department has decided to return the 10 to 11-year-old tigress to the Andharmanik forest in the Chandpai Range of the eastern Sundarbans on 12 July, following recommendations from senior forest officials and wildlife experts.
To monitor the animal after its release, the department is installing 20 camera traps along an eight-kilometre stretch of forest. The tigress’s movements will be tracked for at least one year.
The tiger was rescued on 4 January after being found critically injured in a deer snare set by poachers near Sharkirkhal in the Chandpai Range. She suffered extensive damage to her front left leg, with skin, muscle and veins badly injured. A prolonged struggle in the trap also caused infection and tissue decay.
A five-member veterinary board at the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Division’s rehabilitation centre in Khulna treated the tigress with antibiotics, regular wound care and intensive medical support. The injury had healed by March, and fur has since regrown over the affected area.
Divisional Forest Officer of the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Division in Khulna, Nirmol Kumar Paul, said the tigress had regained her strength, agility and hunting ability. She now weighs around 90 kilograms after recovering from her injuries.
The decision to return the animal to the wild followed extensive consultations with wildlife specialists. Some experts recommended fitting the tigress with a satellite collar or microchip to monitor her because of her age, while others suggested keeping her in a safari park, arguing that older tigers may struggle to survive in the wild.
The Forest Department ultimately decided to release the tigress after concluding that she had fully recovered. Officials also noted that maintaining the animal in captivity costs more than Tk200,000 a month, including a daily diet of four to five kilograms of fresh meat.
Chief Conservator of Forests for the Khulna region Imran Ahmed said he had planned to fit the tigress with a satellite collar but was unable to do so because the equipment could not be imported in time. Camera traps will instead be used to monitor her movements.
He said the tigress, which measures about nine feet in length, has regained full physical fitness and is capable of hunting independently. Camera trap records from 2024 had identified the same animal three times within a 40-kilometre area of the Sundarbans.
The Forest Department has formed four specialised teams of veterinarians, tiger experts and forest officials to oversee the release. The teams will carry out final health and behavioural assessments, transport and release the tigress, and monitor her after she returns to the wild while ensuring public safety.
Divisional Forest Officer of the Eastern Sundarbans Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said the tigress will be transported by river from Khulna to the Andharmanik Eco-Tourism Centre before being released into the adjoining forest on Sunday morning. Senior Forest Department officials and wildlife experts are expected to attend the release.
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