Sundarbans' tiger population

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Sundarbans is an amazing place. It is so completely different from our other landscapes, one needs to visit the place once to feel it.

I am not sure how the tigers and other mammals like deers etc drink the water due to its salinity. They don't have any salt gland like seabirds to expell the salt residue. Ofcourse, the salinity varies with the tide and they might have understood when to drink.

There are unverified claims by villagers that with increasing salinity tigers are moving further away and straying into the villages. With increasing human habitations, low prey density due to poaching and loss of habitat, the tigers are increasingly in danger. I hope that the Sundarbans tigers don't meet the sad end like the Sumatran rhino that got extinct from the swamps of Sundarbans.

Sabyasachi

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Shri Sabyasachi,
Thank you so much for your objective views,as always.I would like to place the Hopes and Fears in my mind about Long Term Survival of The Sundarbans and its Tigers:
HOPES:
1) A large number of rectangular Sweet Water Ponds have been dug up in many Blocks inside the forest for harvesting Rain Water so as to reduce dependence on sweet-saline water of rivers and these are frequently visited by Spotted Deer,Wild Boar,Lizards,Cobras, Rhesus Monkey ,Tigers and Birds etc.
2)To increase prey population Pig Farming has been undertaken and periodic release to the forest is made.
3)A Spotted DEER acclimatisation centre has been set up at Dobanki deep inside the forest where spotted deer brought from other forests are kept in large enclosure.Recently about 70 such deer have been released to the forest.Results not known to me.
4)Special Nylon fencing on village-forest interface to reduce straying of Tigers has been made.But poachers cut the fencing at some places to enter into the forest mainly for killing Deer.
5)Though a number of Tigers straying (say about 8-10 every year)is reported not a single killing of human being or tiger inside village has taken place during last 2 years.The Tigers lift cattle,goats etc and go back to forest or if take shelter villagers inform Forest dept.who immobilise them and release them in far away core areas.Killing of human beings by Tigers takes place inside the forest during Fishing,Honey collection,wood cutting etc.
6)Villagers have more or less realised how Mangroves saved them from cyclones and why Bangladesh suffer so much.
FEARS:
1)Prey Predator ratio remains very low even after what have been done or is being done.
2)Due to global warming the level of water is going up.The Sundarbans is much affected because during HIGH TIDE the area available for Animals for taking shelter is shrinking.It is reported that Two Islands have gone under water while one New Island has emerged.
3)Increase in salinity of water.
Due to inaccessible terrain at many parts and presence of dreaded Maneaters(about 25%),I believe The Sundarbans will survive if Global Warming is controlled.
[It was one horned JAVAN Rhino which became very rare (Bengal District Gazetteer,1908) and later extinct along with Water Buffalo.]

The incident described below will confirm how AGILE a tiger could be.

KING COBRA vs.SUNDARBANS TIGER
About one year back, a Tiger was found dead deep inside the Sundarbans.Autopsy report revealed that the tiger has eaten One KING COBRA(and another snake) with Large Hood of the dead still remaining fully spread implying that the tiger has killed the king before it could strike as no venom was injected to the blood stream.During digestion the entire quantity of venom came out of the Large Venom Gland of the KING which was responsible for damaging the LIVER of the Tiger and Tiger died because of Liver damage.

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Yesterday in the 'Mammals' column while writing on "Injured Leopard" posted by Bhargava bhai I informed the members about the Sundarbans TR losing one Tiger from attack by an Estuarine Crocodile.
Shri Sabyasachi has made his beautiful comments on that.
Full details are given below:
SUNDARBANS TIGER vs.ESTUARINE CROCODILE
After autopsy it has been found that the Tiger was fully grown, about 7 ft.long. I may be mention that most of the Sundarbans Tigers are of lesser weight through Evolution as they have to negotiate muddy river banks and cross rivers and creeks very often but are very ferocious. The Tiger was swimming to cross a creek during high tide near Dobanki deep inside the forest when it was attacked by the Crocodile.There are about 18 deep injury marks on the body all arising out of bite by teeth or swipe of tail by the crocodile.One hind leg is virtually non-existent.It is felt that the Tiger fought brilliantly(as evident from number of bites by angry crocodile) but it might have been an uneven fight as the Tiger possibly could not get a foothold due to high level of water.
About one week back a spotted deer was dragged away while crossing the same creek while other got away with injury.
The Forest Dept. people have seen one 14 ft long crocodile lurking nearby(Resident!).
SUNDARBANS TIGER vs. SHARK
About one year back the Forest dept guards while patrolling found an injured Tiger on the river bank which has lost one of its paws amputated as if by a surgeon.After investigation it was found that the Tiger survived from a SHARK attack( Razor- like Cut).It was treated in Kolkata Zoo and after a few months sent to Animal Rehabilitation Centre in North Bengal as it was impossible for it to hunt in the wild.Estuarine Crocodiles of The Sundarbans are Man-eaters. Yesterday one fisherman has been dragged while climbing the shore from the trawler.