KOLKATA: Tigers in Sunderbans are healthy and rising. A recent camera-trap exercise spotted at least 9 more tigers over those seen in 2016 in the entire mangroves, including the tiger reserve area and the South 24-Parganas forest division, reported the Times of India.
Earlier in 2015, Ministry of Environments of Forests (MoEF) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) put the number of total tigers in Sunderbans at 76. This year the numbers has risen to over 85. The exercise was completed jointly by WWF-India and the state forest department. The camera-trap exercise was started in December 2015 and completed in April 2016 at the Basirhat range that falls in the STR zone.
This was also the first time that the camera-trap exercise covered the entire Indian side of Sunderbans — the tiger reserve area and the forests outside said the news report. The camera-trap images were analysed with the help of a special software that matched stripe patterns for the big cats. The exercise also spotted otters. Experts said that this may mean a revival of health for the mangrove forests.
