Bangladesh, India sign deals to protect tigers

Bangladesh and India signed two deals to tackle poaching of critically-endangered Bengal tigers from the world's largest mangrove forest, an official said on Wednesday. The deals were confirmed after meetings in Dhaka on Tuesday evening between visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Bangladeshi counterpart Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Although the UNESCO-listed, 10,000-square-kilometre (4,000-square-mile) Sundarbans forest straddles the two nations, there have been no previous joint efforts by India and Bangladesh to conserve the Bengal tiger. "These two landmark agreements (will) go a long way towards protecting tigers and other endangered animals in the forest," Bangladesh's forestry and environment secretary Mesbahul Alam told AFP. "Cooperation between the two nations is essential because tigers roam freely. Smugglers and poachers also operate on both sides," he added. Local experts say only 200 of the big cats now live in the Sunderbans, down from 440 in 2004 -- thanks largely to poaching by international animal smugglers and mob beatings by villagers who are hostile to tigers. Tiger skins and bones are highly sought after for use in traditional medicines across Asia. Under the deals, both sides will share information, begin joint scientific monitoring and research projects, and train forest officials.