Sunderbans Tiger Reserve | |
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
Nearest city | Kolkata |
Coordinates | 21°56′42″N 88°53′45″E / 21.94500°N 88.89583°E |
Area | 2,585 km2 (998 sq mi) |
Established | 1973 |
Governing body | Directorate of Forest, Government of West Bengal |
World Heritage site | 1985 |
Sundarban Tiger Reserve is one of the largest populations of wild tigers (especially Bengal tiger) left in the world. It forms part of Sundarbans National Park which is the largest estuarine mangrove forest in the world and covers most parts of South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
editThe Sundarbans forest is home to more than 400 tigers. The Royal Bengal Tigers have developed a unique characteristic of swimming in the saline waters, and are famous for their man-eating tendencies. Tigers can be seen on the river banks sunbathing between November and February.
Apart from the Royal Bengal Tiger; Fishing Cats, Leopard Cats, Macaques, Wild Boar, Indian Grey Mongoose, Fox, Jungle Cat, Flying Fox, Pangolin, Chital, are also found in abundance in the Sundarbans.
Census results
editYear of census | Spotted deer | Rhesus | Monitor lizard | Wild boar | South 24 Parganas Tiger Population | Sunderbans Tiger Reserve Tiger Population | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Male | Female | Cub | Total | Male | Female | Cub | Total | Estimated | |||||
1973 | Incomplete census | 50+ | 50+ | ||||||||||
1976 | 66 | 72 | 43 | 181 | 181 | ||||||||
1977 | Sex not determined | 205 | 205 | ||||||||||
1983 | 137 | 115 | 12 | 264 | 264 | ||||||||
1989 | 30,886 | 126 | 109 | 34 | 269 | 269 | |||||||
1992 | 92 | 132 | 27 | 251 | 251 | ||||||||
1993 | 30,978 | 37,691 | 10,272 | 11,869 | |||||||||
1996 | 95 | 126 | 21 | 242 | 242 | ||||||||
1997 | 13 | 16 | 6 | 35 | 99 | 137 | 27 | 263 | 298 | ||||
1999 | 9 | 16 | 5 | 30 | 96 | 131 | 27 | 254 | 284 | ||||
2001 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 26 | 93 | 129 | 23 | 245 | 271 | ||||
2004 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 25 | 83 | 133 | 33 | 249 | 274 |
Conservation Efforts
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External Links
edit- Sundarbans Tiger Project Research and Conservation of tigers in the largest remaining mangrove forest in the world.
- Tiger Missing Link Foundation Genetic testing data base of tigers, Saving Tigers One By One.
- Tiger Widows Serving the People to Save the Tiger.
- Tigers in Crisis Information about the Earth's vanishing Tigers.
- BBC Wildfacts: Tiger
- Can India's tigers survive extinction? Author Valmik Thapar on the tiger crisis
- Why India's tigers may yet survive Scientist Ullas Karanth on the road ahead
- Save The Tiger Fund
- Tiger Haven Sanctuary
- ARKive - images and movies of the tiger (Panthera tigris)