CAPTURE AND RELEASE OF A STRAYED TIGER UNDER THE SUNDARBAN TIGER RESERVE AREA

摘要

Sundarban Tiger Reserve in India is contiguous with the Sundarban areas of Bangladesh. The Tiger Reserve is situated within the 24-Parganas North & South Districts, West Bengal, with a land area of 1,680 km~2 and estuarine creeks and canals covering 905 km~2. The total area of 2,585 km~2 is demarcated into a core area of 1,330 km~2 and a buffer area of 1,255 km~2. The core area of Sundarban Tiger Reserve is also declared as Sundarban National Park. Furthermore, within this core area an area of 124.40 km~2 is preserved as a primitive zone to act as a gene pool, and within the buffer zone an area of 362.33 km~2 has been declared as Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary. The rivers Kalindi-Raimangal-Harinbhanga are in the eastern boundary of Sundarban Tiger Reserve, with the Bay of Bengal at its south, the river Matla to the west, and the rivers Bidya and Pichkhali on the northern boundary. This mangrove forest comprises about 60% of the total mangrove area in India and supports the maximum number of tigers in a single patch among all the tiger reserves of the country. The amphibious tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) population here is estimated to number about 256-270 individuals and has distinct behavioral patterns that make the Sundarban Tiger Reserve special among the other tiger reserves.