Better survey finds only about 106 tigers live in mangrove forest habitat

There are only about 100 tigers in the world's largest mangrove forest, far fewer of the endangered animals than previously thought, a top Bangladesh forestry official said on Monday following a recent survey.

Some 440 tigers were recorded during the previous forest census conducted in 2004 in the World Heritage-listed Sundarbans, one of the world's last remaining habitats for the big cats.

Experts said better methodology was the reason for the huge drop in the numbers, saying hidden cameras used this time around, rather than pug marks, or paw prints, gave a much more accurate figure.