It’s hard to imagine why anyone would want to kill an innocent animal, let alone one that is part of an endangered species. And yet illegal poaching remains a serious problem, with hunters killing protected animals.
But sometimes karma plays its part, and these poachers get their comeuppance in the end. Like one notorious tiger hunter, who has finally been caught after a 20-year search.
Habib Talukder, 50, also known as “Tiger Habib,” has been wanted for killing 70 tigers in the Sundarbans mangrove forest, near Bangladesh.
The area has the largest population of Bengal tigers anywhere in the world, and has also been the target of illegal poaching. Tigers are killed and their remains are sold on the black market. Talukder has been one of the most infamous of these poachers.
“He secretly entered the Sundarbans and hunted wild animals despite being banned from entering the forest long ago,” Sharankhola Station Officer Md Abdul Mannan told the Dhaka Tribune. “He has been carrying out these criminal activities even though there are multiple cases against him… some powerful gangs are involved in this.”
Talukder has been a most wanted fugitive for years, wanted by by police and the Forest Department, the Tribune reported.
But now, he has finally been arrested. Sharankhola police acted on a tip-off and arrested him Saturday morning, bringing an end to a 20-year search.
“He was on the run for a long time,” said Sharankhola police OC Saidur Rahman.
“Habib is accused in nine cases filed over forest crimes,” Md Joynal Abedin said, adding that he had confessed to the deaths of 70 tigers.
While the Royal Bengal tiger has long been endangered, they’ve seen some improvements in recent years, despite issues with poaching, rising from 106 tigers in 2015 to 114 in the 2018 tiger census.
We’re so glad this infamous tiger poacher has finally been arrested after so long. We hope justice is served!
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