Tiger Cubs seen in Sunderban - West Bengal ( India)
Tiger Cubs seen in Sunderbans :
There is a big news for wildlife lovers.
With a sudden spurt in cub sightings in the Sunderbans, officials say there could actually be more tigers in the mangroves than what the latest camera trapped study revealed – 103.
The successive sightings of two cubs – in the forests of Pirkhali under Sajnekhali tourism zone and Arbesi under Basirhat range – have given a new boost to the animal’s critival habitat and conversation efforts in the single largest block of tidal mangrove forest in the world.
“ In the recently concluded camera trap study, no tiger image was captured in the forests of Arbesi in North 24 Parganas. Last week, a beat officer clicked the snap of a cub with its mother. A big male, which has possibly fathered to the cub, was also sighted near the spot. We hope three will be the newest additions to the figure of 103, the minimum number of tigers in the mangroves”, said Sunderbans tiger Reserve field director. A final call could be taken only after comparing their stripe patterns with those of recorded images, he added.
The good news doesn’t end here. Foresters have also photo - captured another cub, hardly 3-4 months old, with its mother in the forests of Pirkhali I during a routine petrol.
“ We were all euphoric at the time. The moment the tigress spotted us, she tried to take the cub away from our sight. But the cub was no mood to hang up on the new – found adventure in its life. He kept staring at our lenses and we had enough scope to take their snaps. Later, the tigress shooed away the cub and again appeared from behind the bushes to have water”, said a forester, who was present at the spot.
Though images of two sub adult tigers were clicked in a forest of bashirhat recently, not a single image of any cub could be captured in the camera trap exercise.
So, the recent sightings have given foresters a reason to cheer.
A State wildlife advisory board member, who was also claimed to have sighted a cub in the forests of Gajikhali recently, said it shows the habitat in the mangroves is supporting tiger population of all age groups.
“ These are rare sightings. And this means food is also available. But there should be an extensive study on the prey base too since the future of these cubs will primarily depend on the availability of prey in the forest”, he said.
Another wildlife advisory board member, said “ It’s encouraging news. But this comes with the need for greater responsibilities of stepping up vigil to protect the forests “.
Courtesy : The Times of India
Thursday, 19th September 2013
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