Rise in cases of tigers straying in Sunderbans, say authorities
KOLKATA: The Sunderbans has seen the maximum number of incidents of tigers straying out of the reserved forest in 2021 after a decline to nearly zero in the past few years, raising fears of increased human-animal conflict.
While the authorities have started a probe to find out the reasons behind the sharp increase, experts apprehend that with the sea level rising due to global warming and the delta being increasingly battered by cyclones, such straying is bound to increase in the future. It may even take a toll on conservation efforts to save the only mangrove tiger in the world, they warn.
The Sunderbans recorded three cases of tigers straying in 2014-15, followed by three years of zero incidents and two and one in the next two years, data shared by the Sunderban Biosphere Reserve revealed. But that changed dramatically in 2021-22.
“The number of straying cases shot up to seven,” said Piar Chand, director of the reserve.
“There may be multiple reasons, all of which are speculation at the moment. We are trying to find out as to why this has shot up again after coming down to zero.”
To be sure, villagers say the number of such incidents is much more, as on several occasions tigers stray into habitations by swimming across rivers and return to the forest on their own. The forest department records only those cases where tigers had to be trapped after they strayed and had to be released back into the wild, they say. A rise in tiger population could be one of the reasons for straying, experts said.
“Male tigers always move out of their mother’s territory to establish their own territory. It is a part of their evolutionary process and inherent behavioural need,” said Qamar Qureshi, scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India. “They would also move out if the area has reached its carrying capacity.”
Sunderbans was hit by two cyclones in two consecutive years
— Amphan in May 2020 and Yaas in May 2021 — which took a heavy toll on the mangrove forest. “The situation got further complicated as the funds for Project Tiger had been slashed due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” a forester said, declining to be named.
Sea level rise due to global warming could be posing a threat as there is increasing erosion along the sea front, experts said.
“With sea-level rising and erosion of land going on, pressure is building on the Sunderbans. Where would do the tigers go if land is eroded by the sea? They would have to move out,” said YV Jhala, a tiger ecologist.
Although tigers often maul and kill humans when they enter the forest to fish or collect honey, there has been no incidents of attacks inside villages.
“Thanks to the efforts taken by the forest department over the years and the joint forest management initiatives taken by the authorities along with the locals that tigers have not been killed by villagers when they stray into the villages,” said PK Vyas, former chief warden of West Bengal.