- admin
- 07 Aug, 2024
Sundarbans, probably where the British first came face to face with THE ROYAL BENGAL TIGER, and after knowing it might and its Royal kingly behaviour coined the name, the Royal Bengal Tiger whose majestic sight makes one feel like a speck of sand.
Stretching across the Gang etic delta, the Sundarbans is shared by India and Bangladesh. Located along the southern tip of West Bengal, the Indian Sundarbans region consists of 4,200 sq km of reserved forests along with 5,400 sq km of non-forest area. Of this, the Sundarban Tiger Reserve is spread over 2,585 sq km. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has also been tagged a Global Biosphere Reserve. Although the Sunderbans is better known for its mangrove forest and wildlife, it also has a sizable human population. So basically it is the co existence of Man and Tiger in the world’s most inhospitable terrain. Kolkata is the gateway to this wild water world.
This Tiger Reserve is very different from any other forests of India, especially where tiger reserves are concerned, due to its unique Location in the Gangetic delta, the region mainly consists of a network of rivers, channels and islands. Tides play an important role here and large areas go under water for several hours when the water rises. The inhospitable terrain not only makes it difficult for people to eke out a living but also forces people and animal to tread into each other’s territories for food.
The endangered species that lives within the Sundarbans are the saltwater crocodile, the river terrapin, the olive ridley turtle, the Ganges River dolphin, the hawksbill turtle and the mangrove horseshoe crab.
The Sundarban Tiger hunts around 5am to 10am in the morning in general. The home range of this marvellous swamp tiger is some five to ten times than those found in central and southern India. Therefore getting a glimpse of this magnificent beast is like being very very lucky. So we keep our finger crossed.
