Bengal Tiger - Bangladesh

Bangladesh lies on a flat river delta where the Ganges, Jamuna, Padma, and Meghna Rivers meet. The river sediments help to replenish the soil and the heavy monsoons nurture the fertile fields, but there are no natural protective barriers against the destructive cyclones passing through the area on a consistent basis.

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Panthera tigris - The Bengal tiger is the largest member of the cat family and has the largest living population of the 10 tiger subspecies. The tiger's range extended from Eastern Turkey to Indochina, but has been sharply  reduced, placing the tiger on the critically endangered list. Most members of felidae are solitary animals and the tiger is no exception. The basic social group is limited to mother and cubs. Males will grant sub-males temporary passage through their territory and females will share overlaps in their territory with other females.

Aama Mango - Bangladesh

Mangifera indica - A species of mango growing in Bangladesh is known as “aama.” It is the tallest fruit tree in the world, growing to heights of over 30 meters. The species is native to India, was first cultivated over 4,000 years ago, and has become an important food source throughout Eastern Asia. Mango trees have exceptionally long life spans; some species are able to produce fruit after 300 years. Ripe mangoes vary in size and color, but each fruit contains a single pit.

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In 1947, the British Raj was partitioned into two sovereign states; Pakistan and India. Pakistan consisted of two distinct regions separated by India: West and East Pakistan. It is estimated over 14 million people were displaced by this partition, a division falling along religious or cultural lines. Tensions between the two separate wings of Pakistan culminated in armed conflict beginning in March of 1971 and ending in December of the same year; an independent Bangladesh emerged from the war.

Tigers

The tiger, Panthera tigris, is the largest species in the Felidae genus; the genus contains 39 species. The tiger’s historic range once stretched from Anatolia to the Amur River in Eastern Russia and from the lower Himalayas to the islands of Indonesia. There are now fewer than 5,000 animals remaining in the wild and struggling to survive in isolated and scattered pockets. Their catastrophic decline has been attributed to habitat loss and poaching. Two subspecies of tigers are recognized: Panthera tigris tigris, six different varieties found on the Asian mainland and Panthera tigris sondaica, the Sumatran tiger found in the Sunda Islands of Indonesia.  Two other members of the sondaica group, the Bali and Javan tiger, fell into extinction during the 1950’s and 1970’s respectively. The animals depicted are, from top left to right,  the Caspian, Indo-Chinese, Siberian, and Sumatran Tiger.