After being on the run for over 20 years and described as a very 'dangerous man capable of taking on tigers bare-handed' one of Bangladesh's most wanted fugitives has finally been caught.
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On the run no longer
The poacher in question is said to have been responsible for the slaughtering of over 70 Bengali tigers—a species that has long been on the cusp of extinction—over the course of the last two decades.
Dubbed 'Tiger Habib,' Habib Talukder had been wanted by both police and the Forest department of the Sundarbans mangrove forest area where he secretly operated and evaded authorities before finally being caught early in the morning this past May 29.
A tip off had been given regarding the specific whereabouts of Talukder which aided the Sharakhola Station police department in apprehending the poacher. Officer Md Abdul Mannan said:
He secretly entered the Sundarbans and hunted wild animals despite being banned from entering the forest long ago.He has been carrying out these criminal activities even though there are multiple cases against him... some powerful gangs are involved in this. He was on the run for a long time.
Number of Bengali tigers in the wild
A tiger census released in 2019 showed that there were only 114 wild Bengal tigers in Bangladesh's Sundarbans which was an improvement from 2015's all time low number of only 106 tigers in the wild.
In 2004, the amount of non-captive Bengali tigers was 440 which the Bangladesh Forest Department believes is a number that declined so steadily in light of excessive poaching in that region.
Regional forest conservation officer Mainuddin Khan expressed his relief in knowing that the poacher had finally been caught, saying:
He was a big headache for us. He posed a great threat to the forest's biodiversity.
