‘First time ever…’ – Royal Bengal Tiger spotted at an altitude of 3,640 meters

Team Udayavani, Dec 10, 2023, 11:39 AM IST

Representative image (Credit: Seemaleena, via Wikimedia Commons)

A Royal Bengal Tiger made an unexpected appearance at an astounding altitude of 3,640 meters in Sikkim’s Pangalokha Wildlife Sanctuary. This remarkable discovery, a first-ever sighting at such heights, captured the attention of wildlife enthusiasts and experts alike.

The Royal Bengal Tiger was captured by trap cameras of a team of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) which is conducting a study in the sanctuary in collaboration with the Sikkim Forest department, officials said.

The BNHS team claimed that it was the first time that a tiger had been spotted at an altitude of 3,640 meters (11,942 feet).

”The tiger may be utilising the higher ranges of the sanctuary as a corridor to enter the forests of North Sikkim from Bhutan. Previous tiger sightings in the North Sikkim region indicate a potential connection between the adjoining Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary and Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Pangalokha Wildlife Sanctuary is located at the tri-junction of Sikkim, Bengal and Bhutan and is spread over 128 square kilometers. It is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Sikkim.

”To gain a deeper understanding of tiger movement in the high-altitude region of the Sikkim Himalayas, further long-term intensive monitoring studies are deemed necessary,” said Atharva Singh, BNHS scientist associated with the survey.

The BNHS team was conducting a biodiversity assessment of the sanctuary as part of a project called ”Conservation and Use of Five Wetlands in three Himalayan states to secure Habitats of Birds Migrating within the Central Asian Flyway (CAF).”

The project sanctioned by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change of Government of India under the National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS), aims to protect and conserve wetland sites in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Sikkim.

The Pangalokha Wildlife Sanctuary is located in East Sikkim district and connected to the forests of Bhutan and Neora Valley National Park in West Bengal. The sanctuary is home to a diverse range of species, including red pandas, snow leopards, Himalayan musk deer, Himalayan goral, and Himalayan black bears.

(with PTI inputs)