Guwahati: Sikkim’s snow-capped mountain ranges have given wildlife lovers a huge reason to cheer, with a Royal Bengal Tiger spotted at 3,640 metres (11942 ft), the highest elevation record of a tiger in the country.
The tiger was camera-trapped at the Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary in Sikkim during a camera trap expedition by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) team of scientists, researchers and field assistants.
Before the present record, the highest location of a tiger’s presence was at Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh at an elevation of 3,630m in 2018. Bhutan, the next-door neighbour, holds the world record for tiger sightings at the highest elevations at over 4,400m.
This is not the first instance of a tiger being spotted at the Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary. In 2019, the Sikkim State Forest Department had, for the first time, captured on camera a Royal Bengal Tiger roaming at an altitude of 9,583 ft at 6:23 pm and again at 7:00 pm on December 6.
The 128 sq km Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Sikkim and is in the East Sikkim district. It is linked to the forests of Bhutan and the Neora Valley National Park of West Bengal. It is home to several charismatic species like Red Panda, Snow leopard, Himalayan Muskdeer, Himalayan Goral, Himalayan Black Bear and many more.
The BNHS scientists were carrying out a biodiversity assessment of the sanctuary, and as a part of the outcome, a tiger was photo-captured in one of the camera traps. The biodiversity assessment was being done under the project ‘Conservation and Use of Five Wetlands’ in three Himalayan states to secure habitats of birds migrating within the Central Asian flyway. The lead scientists of the survey were Atharva Singh and Himadri Mondal and the project investigator of the project is Dr P. Sathiyaselvam.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India sanctioned the ongoing project under the National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS) to BNHS.
It includes five wetland sites in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Sikkim. All five sites are protected under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 as Wildlife Sanctuaries (Pong Dam and Gobind Sagar in Himachal Pradesh and Pangolakha in Sikkim) and Conservation Reserves (Hanle Plains and Tso Kar Basin in Ladakh).
These sites have been identified based on the criteria laid down by the ministry in the National Action Plan for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats along the Central Asian Flyway (CAF).
“The tiger recorded at Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary in Sikkim is very significant as the area is at a tri-junction of Sikkim, Bengal and Bhutan with confluence of several habitat types. The habitat of the area is very pristine and steps need to be taken to keep it intact as there are increasing tourism pressures for which cooperation from all stakeholders is needed,” Dr P. Sathiyaselvam, Deputy Director and Head of Wetlands and Flyways Programme of BNHS, told EastMojo.
“With the current findings, it is possible that tigers are utilising the higher ranges of the sanctuary as a corridor to enter the forests of north Sikkim from Bhutan. Previous tiger sightings have also occurred in the North Sikkim region, suggesting a connection between the adjoining sanctuaries of Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary and Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary as a potential tiger corridor. Further long-term intensive monitoring studies are necessary to gain a deeper understanding of tiger movement in the high-altitude region of the Sikkim Himalayas,” Atharva Singh, the scientist who led the camera trap expedition, told EastMojo.
The present study, funded by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, aims to conserve selected wetlands in East Sikkim and provide a conservation plan for the birds and their habitats, also identified as an important under CAF Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas. These wetlands ensure a safe passage for migratory birds.
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The project will identify and fill in the existing knowledge gaps in the status, diversity, population and seasonal fluctuations, routes of migratory waterbirds and their conservation needs in East Sikkim. Other than the avian species, the team will also document selected wetland’s important biodiversity, which will be helpful for the flyway level initiative.
Apart from environmental benefits, the efficient management of wetlands will also ensure economic benefits. It will boost development in fisheries, agriculture, and tourism, and enable clean drinking water supply and electricity production, which will have a cascading effect on the end consumer.
An official said BNHS will continue to work in partnership with the Sikkim State Forest Department to monitor these eco-sensitive habitats through community participation.
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