For the first time, Bangladesh is preparing to return a rehabilitated tiger to the wild. On 4 January 2026, forest officers found an adult female Bengal tiger caught in a snare that poachers had set for deer in the Sundarbans, the vast mangrove forest along the country's south-west coast. Nearly six months later, the animal has recovered — and is due to be released back into the forest.
The tigress, estimated at ten to eleven years old, was in a critical state when she was rescued. Her front left leg was badly damaged, with skin, muscle and blood vessels torn and the wound turning to infection after her long struggle in the trap. She was taken to the Khulna Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, where a five-member veterinary board treated her with antibiotics, repeated dressings and intensive care. By March the wound had healed and the fur had grown back. Officials say she has regained her strength and her ability to hunt, and now weighs around 90 kilograms.
The Forest Department plans to release her into the Andharmanik area of the eastern Sundarbans, moving her by river from Khulna to a nearby eco-tourism centre before letting her go. Because a satellite collar could not be imported in time, her movements will instead be followed with 20 camera traps spread across an eight-kilometre stretch of forest, with monitoring to continue for at least a year. Camera images from 2024 had already recorded the same tigress three times across a 40-kilometre area, so wardens know the ground she favours.
The case has prompted debate among specialists — some argued that an older tiger might struggle in the wild, or should be tagged or kept in a park — but the department opted for release, citing her full recovery. It also fits a wider push against poaching: recent raids and seizures of nets and traps are credited both with this rescue and with a rebound in the deer that the tigers depend on. Bangladesh's Sundarbans, covering just over 6,000 square kilometres, are home to about 125 of these endangered Bengal tigers.