Bengal Tiger

Sundarbans (Bangladesh) mangrove forest is the largest contiguous mangrove ecosystem in the world. At 10,000 square km, it is also the largest wetland ecosystem with international importance for waterfowl habitats. The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is a focal species for biodiversity conservation management in the Sundarbans. Conservationists claim that Sundarbans harbors the largest population of tigers in south Asia. Sundarbans also acquired national and international protected area classifications; 23% of its total area has been designated as Sundarbans Wildlife Sanctuaries and United Nations World Heritage Sites. Use of the tiger as a keystone species and its impact on socioecological and economic considerations needs to be reviewed critically with the aim of formulating a management action plan for tiger conservation in the region.

Royal Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris Linnaeus, 1758) at Dubailand Headquarters, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

By: Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa.

Abstract:  I visited Dubailand Headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on 23.03.2009. There was a specially constructed tiger enclosure alongside the lobby area. I saw two Royal Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris Linnaeus, 1758) lying and sleeping in the shade near the viewing window.
The two Royal Bengal Tiger brothers were born at Dubai Zoo on 01.11.2001. The two cubs were raised at Dubai Zoo, and their parents are still there. The Dubailand tigers eat four chickens daily each, as indicated on the information board in front of the enclosure.

Reference: Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2009). Royal Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris Linnaeus, 1758) at Dubailand Headquarters, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178-6288. Volume 27, Number 89, May 2009. pp. 1-18. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342707614_Royal_Bengal_Tigers_Panthera_tigris_tigris_Linnaeus_1758_at_Dubailand_Headquarters_Dubai_United_Arab_Emirates

Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest ecosystem on earth and the last remaining wild Bengal tiger habitat in Bangladesh. Sundarbans is Ramsar and World Heritage Site and according to the World Wildlife Fund and Wildlife Conservation Society, USA, the high priority tiger conservation landscape (TCL) for the viable population of wild tigers for the long term survival. Despite all these international designations, wild tiger population estimation and monitoring research continue to be ad-hoc based although few scientific studies have been carried out recently to understand the population parameters of the Sundarbans tiger. Nevertheless, the scopes and potentials to integrate remote sensing and GIS tools are still in its infancy to better appreciate the population and habitat parameters of this flagship species of tropical Asia. This paper attempts to introduce readers with potential power of GIS and its integration approach to better understand and manage endangered vertebrate such as Bengal Tiger of Sundarbans ecosystem.

The Sundarbans, in southern coastal Bangladesh, is the world’s largest surviving mangrove habitat and the last stronghold of tiger adapted to living in a mangrove ecosystem. Using MaxEnt (maximum entropy modeling), current distribution data, land-use/land cover and bioclimatic variables, we modeled the likely future distribution of the globally endangered Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) in the Bangladesh Sundarbans. We used two climatic scenarios (i.e., RCP6.0 and RCP8.5) developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to provide projections of suitable habitats of Bengal tigers in 2050 and 2070. We also combined projected sea-level rise for the area in our models of future species distributions. Our results suggest that there will be a dramatic decline in suitable Bengal tiger habitats in the Bangladesh Sundarbans. Other than various aspects of local climate, sea-level rise is projected to have a substantial negative impact on Bengal tiger habitats in this low-lying area. Our model predicts that due to the combined effect of climate change and sea-level rise, there will be no suitable Bengal tiger habitat remaining in the Sundarbans by 2070. Enhancing terrestrial protected area coverage, regular monitoring, law enforcement, awareness-building among local residents amongst the key strategies needed to ensure long-term survival and conservation of the Bengal tiger in the Bangladesh Sundarbans.

The tiger is a breathtakingly charismatic species. It is the largest terrestrial carnivorous mammal on earth and sits on top of the food chain in tropical, grassland and boreal ecosystem s ranging from South Asia to Central Asia and Siberia in the former USSR. In these eco-regions, the tiger has served as a flagship mammal and hence acted as an umbrella species for overall biodiversity conservation management. It is an ecological indicator species from which wildlife biologists can detect various ecological changes in terms of species richness, size, equitability, biomass, etc. Some wildlife biologists refer to the tiger as an ecological litmus paper because of its role in helping to indicate the overall health of tropical ecosystem s in South and South-East Asia.

Tiger- the charismatic mega-carnivore is a globally endangered species despite the concerted international conservation initiatives over the past several decades to safeguard its dwindling population size across its range nations. Due to its sheer magnificence, mischievousness, and awesome power, the tiger magnetized global attention and became a hallmark species for ex situ conservation initiatives across the continents. People around the globe often enjoy visiting zoos, which hold tigers, and many zoos have now adopted the tiger as its priority species for promoting ex situ wildlife conservation outreach and education programs with particular focus on schoolchildren as the major target group. Sadly, in situ wild tiger conservation initiatives remain disproportionately lacking in terms of scientific and socio-political interventions despite the consensus among civil societies and governments in tiger range countries to protect this species and its habitats. The Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem in Bangladesh is one of such habitats that became a global priority for wild tiger conservation in the 21st century. This paper attempts to place conservation priorities for the free-ranging wild Bengal tigers Panthera tigris tigris in the context of the Sundarbans by integrating the modern science of wildlife and landscape ecology.

The Sundarbans, in southern coastal Bangladesh, is the world’s largest surviving mangrove habitat and the last stronghold of tiger adapted to living in a mangrove ecosystem. Using MaxEnt (maximum entropy modeling), current distribution data, land-use/land cover and bioclimatic variables, we modeled the likely future distribution of the globally endangered Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) in the Bangladesh Sundarbans. We used two climatic scenarios (i.e., RCP6.0 and RCP8.5) developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to provide projections of suitable habitats of Bengal tigers in 2050 and 2070. We also combined projected sea-level rise for the area in our models of future species distributions. Our results suggest that there will be a dramatic decline in suitable Bengal tiger habitats in the Bangladesh Sundarbans. Other than various aspects of local climate, sea-level rise is projected to have a substantial negative impact on Bengal tiger habitats in this low-lying area. Our model predicts that due to the combined effect of climate change and sea-level rise, there will be no suitable Bengal tiger habitat remaining in the Sundarbans by 2070. Enhancing terrestrial protected area coverage, regular monitoring, law enforcement, awareness-building among local residents amongst the key strategies needed to ensure long-term survival and conservation of the Bengal tiger in the Bangladesh Sundarbans.

Tigers evolved from the genus Panthera approximately two million years ago during the Cenozoic era and were widely distributed in China and Southeast Asia. They then expanded their range northwards into Russia, Japan and Korea, and south and westwards into the Indian subcontinent and Caspian regions about one million years ago. Tigers branched off as a distinct species under the Panthera genus long before lion Panthera leo, leopard Panthera pardus, and jaguar Panthera onca. Tiger is essentially an Asian species and the fossil evidence suggests that it has never been found on any other continents, primarily due to the geo-climatic factors that shaped its ecological niche, along with its obligate mode of adaptation which is primarily based on preying on large ungulate mammals from tropical and sub-tropical monsoonal forests and riparian grassland ecosystems in South Asia. Empirical evidence suggests that in the 19th century there were over 100,000 tigers living in Asia, but by the turn of the mid 20th century, tiger numbers had astronomically plummeted to less than 10,000 across its range nations – due to the large scale British colonial hunting regime administered fashionably and ruthlessly to systematically kill tigers and other charismatic species in the Indian subcontinent.

Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem in bangladesh is unique due to its high socio-ecological and ecosystem significance. This ecosystem is the only wetland based biome that harbours wild Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) in Bangladesh. The article provide brief background of Bangladesh Sundarbans mangrove and its intricate ecological and sociological parameters in relation to tiger ecology and conservation in Bangladesh landscape....

Notable tiger conservationist Dr. Ullas Karanth joins Julie West in a Mountain Lion Foundation podcast interview about the high stakes conservation challenges and successes impacting the endangered Bengal tiger, whose survival is threatened by large scale poaching, competition for resources, and diminished habitat and prey from human encroachment.
https://mountainlion.org/2014/05/21/on-air-with-tiger-expert-dr-ullas-karanth/