Rehabilitation center for Sunderban tigers
The Forest Department has decided to set up a rehabilitation-cum-rescue center for the Sunderban tigers to prevent straying of old and injured tigers to localities. Some wild life followers feel such center may also be used as natural breeding center
THE WEST Bengal government has decided to set up a rehabilitation-cum-rescue center for the Royal Bengal Tigers at Jharkhali in the Sunderbans, the biggest delta of the world. The foundation stone for the rehabilitation-cum-rescue center was laid by West Bengal Forest Minister Ananta Ray on Thursday (June 17) near Jharkhali reserve forest. The center will basically house the old and injured tigers, who often stray into adjacent locality for easy prey.
The forest department has also decided to make arrangements for easy availability of foods for the old and injured tigers in the center. A spokesman of the State Forest Department said the center would also have a mini veterinary hospital for the necessary treatment of the injured and old tigers. The forest department will also construct dens, where the tigers will either sleep or take rest, and watch towers inside the center for the observation of physical condition of the tigers and for tourism purposes. The proposed center will be the second after the one in North Bengal, which houses injured and old leopards, bison and elephants.
Official sources said the government steps were taken following growing reports of tigers straying into localities in the Sunderbans. The sources said there were at least 40 incidents of tigers straying into the localities in the Sunderbans since the middle of the last year. “Recently, we have started putting radio collars on the tigresses, which stray into locality. In most cases the collars are destroyed by the partners of those tigresses. But of late we found that one of the tigress has moved into the Bangladesh portion of the Sunderbans,” the official said. Some wild life followers, however, feel that portions of the proposed center in the Sunderbans may also be used as the natural breeding centers for Royal Bengal tigers and spotted dears. They said the forest department was very much successful by setting up natural breeding centers for snow leopards and red pandas in Darjeeling.
According to forest department sources there are about 274 tigers in the Indian portion of the Sunderbans. But the wild life experts dispute such claims. They also emphasised on joint scientific census of Royal Bengal tigers in the Sunderbans by both the Indian and Bangladesh governments to find out the actual numbers of tigers in the biosphere reserve.
The number of tigers is fast dwindling in the country mainly because of poaching. The Central and state governments have announced a number of steps to protect the tigers in different forests of the country. The government has also launched a massive campaign against poaching and tightened the law to effectively deal with the poachers.
Official sources said the government steps were taken following growing reports of tigers straying into localities in the Sunderbans. The sources said there were at least 40 incidents of tigers straying into the localities in the Sunderbans since the middle of the last year. “Recently, we have started putting radio collars on the tigresses, which stray into locality. In most cases the collars are destroyed by the partners of those tigresses. But of late we found that one of the tigress has moved into the Bangladesh portion of the Sunderbans,” the official said. Some wild life followers, however, feel that portions of the proposed center in the Sunderbans may also be used as the natural breeding centers for Royal Bengal tigers and spotted dears. They said the forest department was very much successful by setting up natural breeding centers for snow leopards and red pandas in Darjeeling.
According to forest department sources there are about 274 tigers in the Indian portion of the Sunderbans. But the wild life experts dispute such claims. They also emphasised on joint scientific census of Royal Bengal tigers in the Sunderbans by both the Indian and Bangladesh governments to find out the actual numbers of tigers in the biosphere reserve.
The number of tigers is fast dwindling in the country mainly because of poaching. The Central and state governments have announced a number of steps to protect the tigers in different forests of the country. The government has also launched a massive campaign against poaching and tightened the law to effectively deal with the poachers.
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