Within the dark, deep woods of South Bengal, criss crossed by the estuarine canals, is situated the marshy mangrove jungle of Sundarbans – the den of the Royal Bengal Tigers. His majesty has even left tracks on the Himalayan snows at 10,000 ft. As you begin your exciting journey in Sundarbans, chances are you may come across a pugmark of a real Royal Bengal Tiger on a mud flat.
The Royal Bengal Tigers were once ruled the special ambience of Sunderbans, and this tiger country was popular as the Big Game Hunters Mecca. But after facing a drastic fall in the Tiger population, Project Tiger was implemented in 1973 and later Sundarban Tiger Reserve was demarcated over 2,585-sq-kms. The core area of 1330-sq-kms has been declared a National Park, in India and has been chosen as a World Heritage Site.
The natural heritage in India is as rich and diverse as the cultural heritage. The wildlife sanctuaries and the national parks here give you an essence of the same. Nestled in this rich land is the Royal Bengal Tiger, the only home to the Royal Tiger Cat. The largest living member of the cat family has a rather graceful built and gait. Bengal Tiger is the fastest running animal. Its length can measure up to 10 feet and has a weight ranging from 180 to 260 kgs.
The habitat of this elegant swift mammal (Bengal Tiger) varies from the swamps of the Sunderbans to the desert land at Ranthambore, from the foothills of Himalayas at Corbett National Park to Bandipur in the peninsular India. In 1973 was launched the Project Tiger to get hold of the dwindling count of the indian tigers. Around 9 wildlife sanctuaries were declared as tiger reserves, which has now increases to 19 covering an area of 33,000 sq. kms in 14 states. The beauty of the royal bengal cat can now be seen in its natural surroundings in these conserved areas.