With a call for supporting the government to protect the Bengal Tigers, the national animal of the country, International Tiger Day was observed yesterday.

Though the day has been being observed on July 29 since 2010, this year due to Eid vacation Bangladesh Forest Department yesterday organised a rally and a discussion with the theme "Tiger is the National Pride ofBangladesh".

The discussion was held at Osmani Memorial Hall in the capital where Anawar Hossain Manju, environment and forest minister, was the chief guest.

Citing a report of TRAFFIC, Dr Tapan Kumar Dey, conservator (Wildlife) of the forest department, said despite different conservation rules, nearly 1,425 tigers were killed in 13 tiger ranged countries between 2000 and 2012.

The number of tigers has dwindled from 1,00,000 to less than 4,000 since 1900. And in the Sundarbans of the country there are only 300-500 tigers left, said the participants.

Every year in the country five to six tigers are killed by people while some 30 people are killed by tigers in the Sundarbans, said Manju.

Abdullah Al Islam Jacob, deputy minister for environment and forest, and Dr Johannes Zutt, country director, World Bank, were present as special guests.

Meanwhile in Khulna, a colourful procession was brought out and a discussion was held at Officers Club to raise public awareness to save the Bengal Tigers for protectingbiodiversity, reported our Khulna correspondent.

State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Naryan Chandra Chanda was present.

The department organised similar programmes also in the upazilas near the Sundarbans to discuss issues including tiger poaching, human-tiger conflict and threats posed to the Sundarbans by climate change.