Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel who killed a Royal Bengal Tiger recently returned its skin to Forest Department In Khulna on Monday, but failed to return its bones, sources in the Forest Department said yesterday.

"We have asked the concerned officials to collect the bones", a source in the Forest Department said .

The tiger bones fetch a high price in the Far East than the skin because of their medicinal value, wildlife biologists said.

The tiger was gunned down late on March 26 night when it was prowling oh the bank of Chuna river in search of food.

The river skirts Datnekhali village under Shyamnagar thana of Satkhira, which is opposite to the Burigoallni range, part of the Sundarbans, declared as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.

Police and BDR claimed that the tiger had been menacing villagers at Datnekhali for the past two months, killing some cattle. But there was no record of the tiger attacking humans, or preying on the livestock.

Nor there was any complaint filed by police or BDR that it was menacing' or threatening the locals, according to preliminary information received by the Forest Department.

According to the Wildlife Act. 1973. only the Chief Conservator of Forest has the authority to declare a tiger 'man eater' and permit its culling.

Before that attempts must be made to send it back to its sanctuary in the Sundarbans if it had strayed out of the forest. The attempts include tranquil-ising a tiger using a dart gun.

The Forest Department officials did hot ihVestlgate Why the tiger had been reportedly streaking out of its habitat. 46/47 compartment of the Burigoalini range.

Local sources said the tiger's den had denied access to the illegal wood cutters so far. who are suspected of having spread rumours about the tiger menacing people and cattle in the area.

Since the slaying of the tiger, the Forest Department was yet to order an official investigation.