After a 20-year search, Bangladeshi authorities have arrested a man accused of killing at least 70 endangered tigers over the past weekend, the Dhaka Tribune reported. Earlier, Sharankhola police, which had issued arrest warrants in three cases, arrested Habib Talukder. In all, he has charged in nine different cases of forest crime, and the newspaper reported that Habib had confessed to killing the tiger to the forest department. The hunter worked for several years in the Sundarbans mangrove forest right in the middle of the India-Bangladesh border.
“Despite being banned from entering the forest long ago, he secretly entered the Sundarbans and hunted wild animals. Sharankhola station officer Md Abdul Mannan told the Dhaka Tribune that although there were several cases against him, he was continuing his criminal activities, with some powerful parties involved. An estimated 2018, the number of Bengal tigers in the forest was close to 114, one-third to one-fifth of all Bengal tigers in Bangladesh. Thanks to the work of conservationists, this endangered species has gradually increased in number over the past decade, with perhaps 3,346 people in the wild. While this work provides hope, the future of these animals remains uncertain and progress can easily delayed.
Police have arrested a hunter accused of killing 70 tigers in the Sundarbans in the last 20 years. Sharankhola police arrested Habib Talukder from Madhya Sonatola village in Southkhali Union on Saturday morning on a tip-off. Sharankhola Police Station OC Saidur Rahman said arrest warrants had issued against Habib in three previous cases. “He had been on the run for a long time.”
Habib produced in court on Saturday afternoon after his arrest and sent to jail, police officials said. Md. Joynal Abedin, forest conservator of Sharankhola Range, said Habib had earlier confessed to the forest department that he had killed at least 70 tigers. Joynal added, “Habib is accused in nine cases filed against him for forest offenses. Sharankhola station officer Md Abdul Mannan said both the police and the forest department listed Habib as the most wanted fugitive.
