奇速英语

处于危险中的孟加拉虎

Tigers are the most powerful cats on the planet. Tigers are also endangered. A new study shows that the animals are far more at risk of extinction（消失）than wildlife experts believed.

The new census（统计）found that only about 100 tigers are left in the Sundarbans forest of Bangladesh. The Sundarbans is the largest mangrove （红树）forest in the world. It is also one of the last remaining habitats -- or natural homes -- for tigers.

The Sundarbans spread across a 10,000-square-kilometer area in southern Bangladesh and the eastern part of India. A number of rivers flow through the area. The Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. About 60 percent of the mangrove forest is in Bangladesh.

In 2004, a separate population count found 440 tigers in the Bangladeshi part of the Sundarbans forest. The finding was based on the study of tiger paw prints, also called "pug marks."

The latest census used infrared （红外线）cameras to arrive at what wildlife experts believe is a more exact number. The cameras took pictures when they observed something with body heat.

Now, after using camera trapping methods used in both countries, the entire forest is believed to hold about 182 tigers.

Indian wildlife scientist Yadvendradev Jhala studied the recent tiger censuses. He noted that more than three-fourths of the world's tiger population lives in India and Bangladesh. He said the new numbers show that the species is threatened. He blamed both illegal hunting and a new coal-fired power plant that, he says, will separate some tiger populations from each other.

The tigers mainly eat spotted deer. The deer also are heavily poached for meat and skin, further threatening the tigers.

Jahidul Kabir said the government has taken the latest tiger census report very seriously. He also said the government plans to declare the entire Sundarbans a protected area, restricting activities that threatened the tigers.