Tiger population in Sunderbans rises to 96

News:As per the latest census conducted by West Bengal Forest Department, the tiger count in the Sundarbans for 2019-20 has gone up to 96 from 88 in 2018-19.

Facts:

• Sundarbans: It is a vast contiguous mangrove forest ecosystem in the coastal region of Bay of Bengal spread over India and Bangladesh on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers.
• The Sunderbans Delta is the only mangrove forest in the world inhabited by tigers.
• Indian Sundarbans constitute over 60% of the country’s total mangrove forest area and was recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
• It is also the 27th Ramsar Site in India and is now the largest protected wetland in the country.
• It is home to rare and globally threatened species such as the critically endangered northern river terrapin, the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin, vulnerable fishing cat and Endangered Royal Bengal Tiger.