User:Dr Shivani Vakilwala

TIGERS OF THE SUNDARBAN.

Sundarbans is a beautiful biosphere reserve and a home to the ferocious Royal Bengal Tiger.

It is partly in India and Bangladesh.

It is also inhabited by people who are fishermen or honey collecters by profession.

The Royal Bengal tigers have been accused of being man eaters ,but is it actually their fault?

The locals there believe that the Royal Bengal tigers developed this due to the epidemic of cholera.

When a large number of locals died due to the epidemic, their bodies were thrown in the water and  these would float and reach the opposite side of the banks, where the tigers would have them and hence they evolved as man eaters.

There is another  folklore stating that there was a Goddess Banbibi who had sacrificed her own son’s life by giving him to her arched rival Dakkhin Rai who was the tiger god. Therefore the honey collecters worship her before going in the depths of the jungle so that she can protect them from Dakkhin Rai who takes the disguise of a tiger and attacks the villagers.

The Royal Bengal tigers are one of the biggest in the cat family and also one of the most fierce.

They have adapted themselves according to the environment  in an unbelievable manner, they can not only swim in those waters but also drink the same marshy salt water as they are the only tigers who have adapted themselves to survive in these mangrove forests. They have even learnt how to climb trees. That is the reason the honey collecters wear a mask at the back of the head so they can  fool these tigers but not all are successful as they have become fierce and fearless.

Tigers of the Sundarbans are undoubtedly Nature’s unique creation.