An
animal of imagination and mystery, the tiger is an extremely
popular species world-wide. Their are five remaining subspecies of
Tigers left in the wild. They are the Sumatran, Bengal, Siberian,
South China and Indochinese. Three subspecies of tiger, the Bali,
Caspian and Javan, have gone extinct in the 20th century. This
solitary and magnificent mammal suffers extreme population decline
due to loss of habitat, reduction in numbers of its prey,
deliberate poisoning by farmers as they are considered a threat to
livestock, poaching and hunting. The skins and bones, blood and
other body parts of the tiger are thought to have medicinal
properties throughout Asia.
Bengal Tiger - Panthera tigris tigris
the most commonly known of all tigers and can be found in a variety
of habitats in including lush forests, swamps and high altitudes of
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Their wild population is
approximately 3,000 to 4,750 tigers
ASIAN
WHITE-BACKED VULTURE
Bangladesh Bhutan Cambodia China India, Lao
People's Democratic Republic alaysia Myanmar Nepal Pakistan
Thailand Viet Nam.
The
area is known for its wide range of fauna including 260 bird
species, the Royal Bengal tiger (largest concentration of tigers
anywhere in Asia - birders beware!) and other threatened species,
such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian Python. More
information on the Sundarbans. And yet another site on the
Sundarbans.
The Sundarbans is the only remaining habitat in the
lower Bengal Basin for a great variety of faunal species. The
Sajnakhali area contains a wealth of water birds, waders, birds of
prey, terns and kingfishers.
The
Sundarbans . Where the land meets the sea at the southern tip of
West Bengal lies the Indian Sunderbans, a stretch of impenetrable
mangrove forest of great size and bio-diversity. A UNESCO World
Heritage Site, the Sunderbans is a vast area covering 4264 square
kms in India alone, with a larger portion in Bangladesh. 2585
sq.
kms of the Indian Sunderbans forms the largest
Tiger Reserve and National Park in India. The Sunderbans is
inhospitable, dangerous and monotonous. It is difficult to approach
and even more difficult to spend time in. But for those who dare,
it must be one of the most attractive and alluring places remaining
on earth.
Nigel Wheatley, Where to watch birds in AsiaIn
addition to the Sundarbans, recommended locations
include:
Srimangal, in the northeast (inclluding the
Lawachara/West Bhanugach Reserve Forest) - best birding in
Bangladesh in terms of variety of bird species
seen
Sunamganj Haor Basin in north Bangladesh for "masses of
wintering waterbirds"
Patenga, near Chittagong in the southeast - most
accessible site for wintering shorebirds
Modhupur, three hours north of Dhaka by road, is an
excellent place for nightbirds.
