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Location |
West Bengal |
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Best time |
November to March |
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Area |
40,000 sq. km. |
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Major Animals/Birds |
Tiger ,Wild boars, Spotted deer, Porcupines and Rhesus macaque. Among the reptiles, the King cobra, the common cobra, Banded krait, Russells Viper comprise the community of venomous reptiles, while the Python, Chequered Kil-Back, Dhaman , Green Whip Snake and several other species constitute the non-venomous snakes. |
Sundarbans National Park is located in West Bengal. Area of Sundarbans National Parkis 40,000 square kilometers, best time to visit Sundarbans National Park is between Nov – March.
Sundarbans National Park is a stunning location in West Bengal’s North and South 24-Paraganas districts. Sundarbans is a Tiger Reserve as well as a Biosphere Reserve.The Sundarbans National Park was created in 1984. The park’s total size is 1330.10 Km2. Sundarbans National Park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
It is part of the Sundarbans Reserve Forest in Bangladesh and is part of the Sundarbans on the Ganges Delta. The delta is thickly forested and serves as one of the Bengal Tiger’s major reserves.
The park is split into two ranges. Each range is broken further into beats. The park also features floating surveillance posts and camps to keep poachers at bay. The Sundarbans are a tributary of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers, which create the world’s biggest delta.
Sundari, a kind of mangrove plant, inspired the park’s name (Heritiera Minor). In Bengali, the word Sundarban translates directly as “beautiful forest” (Shundor, “beautiful,” and bon, “forest”).
The Sunderbans’ major draw is the Tiger, for which the delta is home to huge reptiles like as the Monitor Lizard, Estuarine Crocodile, and Olive Ridley Turtle, for which there is a conservation programme in the Indian park. Leopard, Indian Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros, Swamp Deer, Hog Deer, and Water Buffalo are also found in the park.
The park, which has an average elevation of 7.5 metres, is made up of 54 tiny islands and is crisscrossed by various Ganges tributaries. The Sundarbans National Park also has the world’s biggest estuary mangrove forest.
All human disturbances, such as the collecting of wood, honey, fishing, and other forest products, are prohibited in the core area. Forest offices and campgrounds are positioned around the park in strategic locations. Two to three competent workers operate anti-poaching camps under the direction of a concerned beat guard/forester/range officer.
Wildlife habitat is preserved by eco-conservation, eco-development, training, teaching, and research. To assist in this aim, ten Forest Protection Committees and fourteen Eco-development Committees have been constituted on the outskirts of Sundarbans Tiger Reserve.
Major Attractions in & Around the Park
The primary attractions of Sajnekhali include the Mangrove Interpretation Centre, a turtle and crocodile pond, a guard tower, and a sweet water pond.
Sudhanyakhali: A Mangrove Park with a sweet water pond and a watch tower with observation lines gives tourists with a vantage point to witness animals.
Dobanki Canopy Walk: This overhead route provides visitors with an aerial perspective of the forest. It reaches a climax with a guard tower from which a large area of mangrove vegetation can be observed.
Netidhopani: Here, guests may observe the remnants of a 400-year-old temple as well as a guard tower.
Burirdabri cage route and mud walk: This is a popular tourist attraction since it lets visitors to experience the muddy forest floor. During the mud walk, you may get a close look at the ground fauna. It culminates at a guard tower with a view into Bangladesh, with the river Raimongal defining the border.
Jhingekhali: A wildlife observation tower with viewing lines and a sweet water pond.
Tiger:( Panthera tigris ) It is the leading land-based predator in the mangrove habitat. Tigers in the Sunderbans have adapted to the salty water and, like most other species, are superb swimmers with a varied diet that includes fish, crabs, smaller animals, and wild boar and cheetal. Apart from Bangladesh, the Sunderbans is the only mangrove area in the world where tigers may be found. Tigers here live in very stressful conditions and see anything moving within the forest, including humans, as prey. They have earned the moniker “man eaters” as a result of this behaviour. Dolphins, both Gangetic (Platanista gangetica) and Irrawady (Oracella brevirostris), are also present in the Sunderbans. Aside from these, cheetal, rhesus macaque, wild boar, fisher cats, leopard cats, tiny Indian civet, common otter, black finless porpoise, and other species have been documented from the region.
Common Kingfishers, Peregrine falcons, Woodpeckers, Jungle Babblers, Cotton Teals, Herring Gulls, Caspian Terns, Gray Herons, Green Pigeons, Rose Ringed Parakeets, Paradise Flycatchers, Cormorants, Fishing Eagles, White Bellied Sea Eagles, Brahminy Ducks, Spotted Billed Pelicans, Large Egrets, Night Herons, Open Billed Storks, White Ibis, Water Hens, Coots, Pheasant Tailed Jacanas, Common Snipes, Wood Sandpipers, Pariah Kites, Brahminy Kites, Marsh Harriers, Swamp Partridges, Red Jungle Fowls, Spotted Doves, Common Mynahs, Jungle Crows etc.
Crocodile of the estuary ( Crocodilus porosus) This endangered species may be found in large numbers in many rivers and streams. They may frequently be observed sunbathing on the mudflats, especially during the winter. A crocodile initiative is now underway in Bhagwatpur to increase their population. Snakes are abundant in the area, in addition to crocodiles. Out of the 97 species found in West Bengal, 53 have been documented here. King cobra, common cobra, Russel’s viper, Common Krait, Indian Python, rat snake, chequered keelback, green whip snake, and others are notable. Snake bites are a leading cause of death in the Sunderbans. Fresh water turtles such as the Indian soft-shelled turtle, spotted pond turtle, flapshell turtle, and others have also been discovered. Olive ridley, green sea, and hawksbill turtles are among the marine turtles. Another endangered species present in the area is the river terrapin (Batugar baska), which is native to the area. The water monitor lizard may also be found in large numbers here.
Sunderbans streams and rivers are teeming with fish, crabs, and mollusks. Peripthalmus and Boleopthalmus, two amphibious mud skipper fish, are commonly spotted wandering about along jetties and mud banks. Endangered shark and ray species such as Ganges shark (Glyphis gangeticus), white spotted shovel nosed guitar fish (Rhynchobatus djiddensis), Pondicherry shark, and others may be found here. Other species discovered include Indian dog sharks, bull sharks, hammerhead sharks, black tip sharks, pale edged sting rays, and black edged sting rays. Hilsa, bhetki, pomphret, parshey, gurjali, and topshey are among the other fishes. Among the crustaceans observed are several varieties of prawns, notably tiger prawns, which are a significant source of money due to their strong export market. Fiddler crabs (Uca sp. ), ghost crabs, and two exceedingly primitive species of trilobites known as Horse shoe crabs (Tachepleursgygus and Carcinoscropius rotundicauda) are also found here.
