Bangladesh remains a major hub for the poaching of endangered tigers despite government claims of a successful crackdown on pirate groups involved in the trade, according to research published Friday.
The vast Sundarbans mangrove forest straddling India and Bangladesh hosts one of the world’s largest populations of Bengal tigers.
Their pelts, bones and flesh are bought by black marketeers as part of a broader illegal wildlife trade valued at an estimated $20 billion globally each year.
Research from big cat conservation group Panthera and the Chinese Academy of Sciences said tiger parts harvested in the Sundarbans have been exported to 15 countries, with India and China being the most common destinations.
“Bangladesh plays a much more significant role in the illicit tiger trade than we previously realized,” study co-author Rob Pickles said in a statement.
2023-07-30 13:24:03
Source from phys.org