Fisheries and Livestock State Minister Sultan Salahuddin Tuku called for greater public awareness and a conservation mindset among younger generations to protect tigers. Speaking after a World Tiger Day rally at Bangladesh National Zoo on Wednesday, he described tigers as among the world’s most important wild animals and an essential part of biodiversity.

Tuku said the global tiger population was about 100,000 roughly a century ago but is now about 5,000, a decline he said shows the species faces an existential threat. He warned that tigers could face an even deeper crisis unless effective steps are taken immediately and people are made more aware of conservation.

The minister said the Sundarbans currently has 124 tigers, while Bangladesh National Zoo has about 15 and zoos across the country have about 50 in total. Responding to a question on tiger-counting funds and transparency, he said the matter falls under the Forest Department, not his ministry, and that the department runs the process through its own procedures. He later inaugurated the zoo’s souvenir shop.