Not only are animals a part of our natural ecosystem but also they represent the heritage of many nations as well. But unfortunately poaching around the world, especially in developing countries, has soared in recent years.

According to WWF, a century ago there were around 100,000 tigers roaming around the forests, swamps, and tundra of Asia. And there are only as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild. Only a mere 7% of historic tiger habitat still contains tigers. And poaching is one of the main culprits behind the dwindling numbers of Tigers around the world.

The Royal Bengal Tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh and its population in the Sunderban Forest has also rapidly diminished over the past few years. In 2004, there were 440 tigers in the Sundarbans, but, according to the most recent tiger census, there are 106 tigers in the mangrove forest of Bangladesh. Some of the most crucial factors are poaching of tigers, human-tiger conflicts and continuous shrinking of the tiger habitat in the Sundarbans.

In order to protect the national heritage of Bangladesh, a two year nationwide campaign was launched on 11th February 2016 to order to raise awareness regarding the importance of preserving tigers and their habitat. The theme of the campaign is ?Tiger is our pride- We shall protect the tiger?.

A state of the art tiger-shaped vehicle will travel to 100 strategic locations around the country as part of the campaign. A simulation of the forest has been created inside the vehicle in order to give people the opportunity to experience the forest through exhibitions of pictures and video clips. Another vehicle will be launched to carry a street theater troupe and celebrities including cricket players and film actors, who will also travel to various strategic locations. The campaign is planning to engage youths in social media activities in order to spread its messages. The hashtag #iStandForTigers was uploaded on Facebook at the ceremony.

This entire campaign is part of the Bagh Activity, a joint project of the Bangladesh government and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) initiated by Wild Team along with the support from the Smithsonian Institution and Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies (BCAS).