Panthera tigris: range and population collapse in Northern West Bengal, India

Abstract

During the last two centuries, tiger population has been extirpated from about 1000 sq. km of its historic range in Northern West Bengal and dwindled at an alarming rate in their last refuse, i.e. the protected areas, spread over > 1000 sq. km, due to increasing antropogenic pressures and other reasons. Intra-state and inter-state migration of the tigers, usually on a seasonal basis, is also reported from these protected areas, leading to very much lower population than in ecologically comparable sites in India