Save them or lose them

Dhaka, Nov. 21: Bangladesh looks more concerned than India about protecting its tigers, although the big cat is the national animal of both countries.

Before leaving for St Petersburg for a tiger summit that today declared the animal could become extinct in 12 years if the fight against poaching was not stepped up, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina approved a law that can award jail terms of up to 12 years for killing endangered animals.

The wildlife protection law, which lays down various terms for killing different animals, has detailed regulations for the protection of elephants, leopards, clouded leopards, gibbons, sambar deer, crocodiles, whales, dolphins, pythons and birds.

Wildlife officials said while the penalty for killing crocodiles and pythons is two years in jail, the term could go up to 12 years for killing tigers and elephants. The earlier law provided for terms between two months and two years, along with fines of Rs 322 to Rs 1,200.

In contrast, Indian wildlife laws specify a prison term between three and seven years for killing a tiger. Fines range between Rs 50,000 and Rs 200,000.

According to the Wildlife Society of India, over 180 tigers have been killed in the country in the last five years compared to 15 in Bangladesh, the death count making the leniency of Indian laws all the more glaring. Only 16 persons have ever been convicted for killing tigers in India.

Indian wildlife officials said there had been proposals to increase the quantum of punishment but there was no agreement on the impact such a move might have.

“There are apprehensions that if the penalties are very high, the proportion of convictions might go down,” K.T. Hanumanthappa, the deputy conservator of forests at Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, said.

Although it is not known how many people have been convicted in Bangladesh, sources said there were reports of rampant killing and smuggling of endangered animals. Recently, the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Department seized 374 rare turtles from Khulna, the incident being one of many behind the introduction of the more stringent law.

Under the law, hunting of migratory birds and wild animals with poisonous baits for commercial purposes is liable to be punished with jail terms or fines between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 6 lakh or both.

The government will compensate families of those killed or maimed by wild animals with amounts ranging between Rs 32,000 and Rs 65,000. Each family will be given Rs 16,000 if animals destroy their houses or crops.

The law states that carcasses will be treated as government property. The government is empowered to seize caged animals, animal parts, elephant tusks, ivory products as well as machines and weapons used to violate the law. It can also cancel hunting permits of violators.

The Sundarbans in Bangladesh is home to some 400 tigers. There are about 300 elephants in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.