 |  | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
 |   |
| |||||||||
 |  | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
 |  | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| |||
| .................................................................................................... |  .... | ||
| |||
| SUNDERBAN
NATIONAL PARK | ||||||
| ||||||
|
| ||||||
| Animals you will see | ||||||
| As
many as 35 species of mammals thrive in this area where they shelter, roost, feed
or breed. Because of the varied habitat the creatures that live here are terrestrial,
estuarine or marine. One need not have to be too lucky to get a glimpse of a Royal Bengal Tiger 
prowling amidst the dense vegetation. The legendary predator has adapted well
to this watery environment, and swims from island to island, covering distances
of as much as 40 km. in one day. Chital can be seen in herds in the grassy and forested areas often interacting with Rhesus Macaques on treetops. These two are often seen together and are a perfect example of symbiosis. Other terrestrial fauna include the leopard and wild boar. The fishing cat is often seen in the creeks. Two species of mongoose, venomous snakes, and a variety of otters, bats and rodents are also found here. The Gangetic dolphins and porpoises occupy the estuarine area. The Estuarine crocodile and the Bengal Monitor inhabit the banks of the rivers and streams. The crocodile, Crocodylus porosus is one of the world's largest and rarest crocodiles alive. The fresh water turtle, Batagur Baska and the marine Olive Ridley turtle, both of which are endangered, lie in the sands of their nesting grounds at Halliday Island. The Rana and Bufo species of frogs have also been observed. There are lizards present as well as agamids and geckos, snakes like the Russell's viper, banded krait and chequered keel-back are found besides the common cobra, king  cobra,
pythons, dhamans and greenwhips. You will probably see the amazing mudskippers,
small fish that prefer land to water and are found on rocks or the aerial roots
of mangroves. They use their fins to move in the swampy soils when the tide is
out skipping along in the mud. Freshwater fish that breed and spawn in the estuaries, crustaceans like shrimps, prawns, and crabs like the fiddler crab is common. Hilsa, pomfret, pama and polyhemus are the marine species of fish that navigate the estuary to reach their spawning areas upstream. The bhekti, mugili and shela fish thrive in the mangrove areas. It is not surprising that dense swamps host the largest variety of insect life of which the rock bee is the most prominent. Huge hives can be seen in the forested areas where they make wild honey. Several species of butterflies and moths flutter around, exploring the terrain and magnificent blooms full of nectar. | ||||||
| Birdwatching | ||||||
|
Sunderban is blessed with nearly 260 different species of birds. Storks, herons
and egrets are likely to be seen. Spoonbills, ibises, cormorants and bitterns
are also seen. The White-breasted Kingfisher, Small Blue Kingfisher and the Pied
Kingfisher feast on the abundant fish, worms and tadpoles found in the region.
Many are migrants from the north. Mynahs, bulbuls and parakeets, along with barbets, orioles  ,
cuckoos and sunbirds are constant visitors to the mangroves during the fruiting
season. Aquatic birds like seagulls, snipe, sandpiper, stilts and pipits are found in winter. Wild ducks, Teals, Terns, Plovers and Lapwings abound in the waters and along muddy shores. Sea eagles, harriers, osprey, falcons and hawks are prominent in the list of raptors that are featured around these parts. The Crested Serpent Eagle and the Brahminy Kite are heavyweights that scour the area for prey. | ||||||
| Terrain | ||||||
The Sunderban outlines the gigantic fertile delta that is the meeting point of
the three mighty rivers mentioned earlier. The smaller Vidya Malta river, divides
the region into the western Namkhana Range and the eastern  Bashirhat
Range. The swamps lie at the feet of the Himalayas in the north, the Rajmahal
hills in the west and the Meghalaya plateau and Chittagong hills in the east.
The notified forest area, supports dense mangrove forests, several rivers, creeks
and estuaries but most of the area is inaccessible swamps. Sajnekhali, Lothian
Island and Halliday Island form the three most important island areas of the reserve.
The Sunderban comprises the Chhotahardi, Mayadwip, Chamta, Matla, Goshaba, Gona
and Baghmara forests. The soil texture resembles sticky clay and flooding is a
daily feature when two-thirds of the land gets submerged. Water logging is an
obvious fall-out of the hydrology of the area. | ||||||
| People | ||||||
|
The Sunderbans offer a harsh environment. Cyclones, typhoons, and hurricanes have
caused many islands to disappear over the years. Erosion is still one of the major
problems as far as the island-cluster is concerned. Out of the 100 islands, only
30 are well inhabited. The inhabitants are Bengalis, and speak the language of
Bangla or Bengali. The major livelihood of the people are fishing, wood cutting
and honey collecting. To the tourists, they are helpful and friendly. Some have even cashed in on the tourism industry and work as professional guides. They have a veritable nose for the jungle, and serve as excellent guides. | ||||||
| Climate | ||||||
| Summers are warm and uncomfortably sultry at 37°C to 42°C. Winter nights can be slightly chilly at around 9°C. Thunderstorms and tidal waves are known to occur occasionally. The monsoons break in June and last for about three months. | ||||||
| Threats faced | ||||||
| 1.
Proposal for the National waterways through Sunderban: The proposed project carries
with it the inherent threat of adversely affecting the ecosystem destroying the
flora and fauna due to large scale human activities within the protected area. 2. Oil spills are a potential threat, which causes immense damage to aquatic fauna and the mangrove vegetation. 3. Brackish water fishery contributes to devastating water pollution. 4. Large scale catching of tiger prawn seeds causes reduction in mullet population of other fishes. 5. Sand deposition obstructing free tidal movement affects mangrove vegetation in some areas. It is however possible to reclaim the enhancement of silt deposition creating artificial obstructions by erecting, piling and spreading brush wood to induce natural regeneration of mangroves. | ||||||
| Conservation Notes | ||||||
| Conservation
of mangrove ecosystem also attracts special attention because of it's indispensable
role to sustain the coastal fishing of whole estuarine. The post larval stages
of tiger prawn always search for a mangrove nursery and after reaching first the
adult stage, they go back to coastal high seas. The prawn being the basic food
of secondary and tertiary hetratrop in aquatic system the whole fishing of eastern
India coast thus largely depends on Sunderban mangrove. The mass-scale catching
of tiger prawn seeds and destroying of seeds of other fishes in the process as
however, telling upon the mullets population of the core water and will certainly
have a far-reaching adverse effect on the ecosystem. Sunderban mangrove is the home of a number of endangered and globally threatened species. The Bengal tiger and fishing cat are getting effective protection here. The creeks of the Sunderban form the home of estuarine crocodiles, Salvador lizard (water monitor), river terrapin and horseshoes or king crab. This area serves as the nesting ground for endangered marine turtles like Olive Ridley, green turtle, Hawks-bill turtle. The aquatic endangered mammals like gangetic Dolphins thrives within mangrove creeks. Sunderban also forms number of monsoon heronaries as well winter swamp home for Trans Himalayan migratory birds. The Sunderban tiger reserve within this mangrove zone has received effective protection under project tiger since its inception. The core area has been free of all human disturbances like fishing, collection of wood, honey and other forest produce. Protection against poaching and theft of forest produces has been ensured through intensive patrolling by staff using motor boats and launches. The surface camps have been established along with the floating camps, which are stationed suitable locations in the fringe of the forest and inside. Watchtowers are there at strategic points to watch over the area. Various office locations and camps as well as launches and boats are well connected through R. T. network and staffs are equipped with suitable firearms. Intensive management takes care of the maintenance and improvement of the habitat through eco- conservation, eco-development, education, training and awareness building and research. Where as the protection freshly coming natural regeneration is ensure through patrolling, mud-flats close to the periphery of the reserve are artificially regenerated with mangrove plants to meet local demands of small wood and fuel wood and reduce the pressure on the buffer. Non-mangrove plantations are also raised along roads and embankments to cater to the needs of the people. Co-operation of fringe people in conservation of their tiger habitat as could gradually be felt, has been possible through motivation and awareness building of the people as well as increased public liasion and their involvement in the planning process for implementation of various eco development activities. Soil conservation measures applying vegetational methods are taken up to stabilise the vulnerable sites. To facilitate availability of sweet water to the animals, ponds have been dug at several places within the forests. The reserve has successfully launched a special program to conserve the highly endangered Olive ridley turtles. The other main activity involves the successful migration of man-eating by tigers which existed here since time immemorial. This has become possible due to strict control over the movement of peole inside the tiger reserve area. Use of human masks, electric human-dummies etc. is believed to have also contributed to this reduction. The straying of tigers into the adjoining villages is a serious problem in the area. Measures like erection of electric fencing, fencing made by using stems of garan and branches of genwa, nilon net fencing at forest site and solar illumination at village site at night have however helped to reduce the incidents of tiger straying. For reducing the strayed tiger, methods of tranqulisation using dart gun is also applied where driving of the tiger to the near by forest is not possible. The youth of the fringe villagers have also been imparted training to enable them to play appropriate roles in combating tiger-straying. To estimate the population of tiger and its prey-base census operation is taken up at periodical interval. In the hostile terrain of mangrove belt crisscrossed with a network of numerous streams and creeks, census operation braving the tiger is however extremely difficult. The excellent recovery of the ecosystem within the Tiger Reserve area is eloquent in the form of re-amelioration of all vegetation types and in an over all increase in the number of its varied fauna including the tiger. This mangrove tiger land, a veritable resort of the king of the forest, has no parallel in the pantheon of Project Tiger. The Sunderban mangrove eco-system provides conditions enabling pouring of uninterrupted research data for interdisciplinary research program involving natural and social sciences. The zones of less interference provides scope of monitoring the changes in both physical as well as biological components. There is a research unit in Sundrerban Tiger Reserve conducting various studies and research relating to vegetation dynamics of different estuarine lobes, biological and behavioral studies of tiger and its faunal associates, artificial hatching and breeding biology of Olive Ridley Turtle and River Terrapin presents status of fihsh reserves in mangrove swamps of Sunderban, factors associated with man eating tiger and tigrer straying, estimations of popullation of major fauna including tiger and its prey-base, local migration of tiger and other major fauna with change of vegetaion-consociation, density etc. as well as status and nature of migration of avifauna. Research on crab-culture and Oyster culture are also contemplated. Hatching of Olive Ridley Turtle and River Terrapin is done at Sajnekhali. | ||||||
| Projects | ||||||
| 1.
Alternative Livelihoods and Improved Resource Management in the Sunderbans: An
Integrated Two-Country
2.
Conservation of Olive Ridley Turtle | ||||||
| Getting there | ||||||
| Air: Kolkata (131 km) would be the ideal base. Rail: Port Canning is the closest station, only 48 km South-east of Kolkata. Road: The nearest town is Goshaba (50 km.) From Kolkata, it is best to take a bus or car to Basunti or Sonakhali or Port Canning. Entry points are from Port Canning, Thosiave, Namkhana, Sonakhali, Raidighi, Basanti, Dhamakali and Najat. From here motor launches can enter the park. | ||||||
| Getting around | ||||||
| Permits
are compulsorily required if you are visiting the Sunderban Wildlife Sanctuary
and can be obtained at the Forest Department office in Kolkata. Carry your passport.
To visit any other area in the vicinity of the Sunderban, contact the Divisional
Forest Officer, 24 Parganas, 35 Gopalnagar Road, Kolkata-700 027. (Tel: 091-033-2451037)
From the Mangrove Interpretation Centre at Sajnekhali, you can tour the area on boats that are available on hire for the whole day at Rs 500 and for a four-hour stretch at Rs 350. Boat permits are required. A guide is necessary. On the bank of the Sudhanyakhali River is the Sudhanyakhali watchtower. It stands in the middle of the dense forest and offers a bird's eye view of the surrounding area. Below is the watering hole of wild animals. This one-stop cruise can be completed in three hours for Rs. 300, and one may easily spot a thirsty Royal Bengal Tiger in the bargain. Other such watch towers have been built in Sajnekhali, Jhingekhali, Netidhopani, Haldibari, Burirdhabri and Choragajikhali. In the lap of the Bay of Bengal is Kalas Island, the last island on the Thakrun Rive  r.
Nearby is the confluence of the Dhulibhasani and the Matla rivers. As one goes
deeper and deeper into the island, one enters the dark coconut groves. Apparently
peaceful and homely, they house a great watering hole of tigers. Near Kalas Island is the Halliday Island. In winter, during full moon as well as new moon, hundreds of sea turtles come to the island to lay their eggs. 20 km. off Namkhana lies Lothian Island, on the River Saptamukhi. The absence of tigers in this island is more than made up by the presence of a variety of snakes. The Lothian Mangrove Botanical Garden is nearing completion. There is also the Bhagavatpur Crocodile Project where visitors can see crocodile eggs and observe baby crocodiles. A breeding farm, crocodiles bred here are subsequently let out into their natural habitat. Lothian Island also boasts of the Dhanchi Forest Fishery, a highly scientific shrimp-breeding project. These shrimps, produced in great numbers, are ferried across from island to island. | ||||||
| Accomodation | ||||||
| ||||||
| Best Time for Viewing | ||||||
| Winter
and spring (October - April) are the ideal times to visit the Sunderbans. For
bird-watchers, however, the best time would be from June to September. Early morning and late evenings are always exciting. The area, being an extraordinary habitat, is unpredictable at all times. | ||||||
| Useful Tips | ||||||
| ||||||
| Survival Guide | ||||||
| ||||||
| Booking Information | ||||||
|
For conducted trip and accomodation contact: | ||||||
| W.B.Tourism
Development Corp. Ltd. 3/2, B.B.D Bag (East), Calcutta-700 001 Phone: 248 5917, 210 3199. Telefax: 248 5168 | ||||||
|
For
further information one may contact the office of: The F/D Sunderban Tiger Reserve, Canning, 24 Parganas (South) | ||||||
| Click for a virtual safari of Sunderban National Park | ||||||
| Click for the Photo Gallery of Sunderban National Park | ||||||
