First Photographic Evidence of Panthera tigris from Neora Valley National Park, Central Himalayas, India

Abstract

Present article reports first photographic evidence of Panthera tigris from Neora Valley National Park. Previous sightings have been occasionally reported from the National Park and its surroundings, whereas the present study is the first scientific study confirming the presence of this species through photographic evidence. Tiger was camera trapped on a
trail in the upper forest region of the National Park at an altitude of 2605m.

Full text

Rec. zool. Surv. India: Vol. 120(1)/ 89-91, 2020
DOI: 10.26515/rzsi/v120/i1/2020/144036
* Author for correspondence
Accepted on: 25.06.2019
Article Received on: 23.04.2019
ISSN (Online) : 2581-8686
ISSN (Print) : 0375-1511
Abstract
Panthera tigris
                 
   

Keywords:
First photographic evidence of Panthera tigris from Neora
Valley National Park, Central Himalayas, India
Paromit Chatterjee*, Krishnendu Mondal, Basudev Tripathy and
Kailash Chandra
Zoological Survey of India, Prani Vigyan Bhawan, M - Block, New Alipore, Kolkata
- 700053, West Bengal., India; Email: paromitchatterjee@gmail.com
Introduction
ere are past evidences and records for the presence of
tiger in the North Bengal and evidence of tigers in the
Neora Valley area are known early as 1940s where Harding
(2006) mentioned that tigers may have migrated from the
Terai of the lower North Bengal to Upper Neora areas
moving further north to Sikkim or Bhutan forest areas.
Several state forest surveys in this National Park has been
conducted in the past indicating the presence of tiger
in the PA (Mallick, 2012). Despite of these reports and
repeated surveys, only secondary evidences were found in
conrmation of the animal in the Neora Valley National
Park (Biswas et al., 1999; Mallick, 2012). Closest presence
of tigers in North Bengal was last reported from the Buxa
Tiger Reserve based on scat collection and molecular
studies which indicate there are 15 individuals in the area
(Borthakur, 2013). All India Tiger census report states
that presence of 10 tigers in the North Bengal region in
2006, followed by nil in 2010 and three individuals in
2014 (Jhala et al., 2015). All of these gures are based on
surveys inside the Buxa Tiger reserve of Alipurduar, West
Bengal. Nevertheless, no census has been carried in the
Neora Valley National Park so far. is paper is therefore
reporting presence of tiger in the Neora Valley National
Park, based on camera trap evidences.
Material and Methods
Camera Traps were deployed throughout the Neora Valley
National, West Bengal, as part of the Himalayan Biodiversity
Monitoring Project to record various species of mammals and
ground bird species occurring in the National Park (Figure 1).
e Park was divided into 1 x 1 Km2 grids, with a total of 88
grid sectors. A total of 10 infrared camera traps (SPYPOINT
Model No-Force 11D) were deployed in both upper and
lower regions at varying altitudes on a rotation formation
for fortnight interval at each trap sites. Digital photographs
from the camera were retrieved and images were analysed for
conrmation of the animals/birds captured.
Results and Discussion
On 22nd April 2018, an individual tiger Panthera tigris
(Linnaeus, 1758) was recorded during early morning
hours in the Kattus Dara (Lat: 27.09757 Long: 88.70886
Elevation: 2605m) (Figures 2 and 3) of the upper forest
division of Neora Valley National Park. Two camera
traps set 500 m apart recorded an individual in the
Chaudapheri camp region of the National Park at 4:21
AM and 4:33 AM respectively. Several observations were

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90
First photographic evidence of Panthera tigris from Neora Valley National Park, Central Himalayas, India
made in the past along with pugmarks and scats in the
region but this is the rst record based on photographic
evidence for the presence of Royal Bengal Tiger in the
National Park. e night before this record was rainy and
humid with temperature as low as 5°C. e individual
was recorded aer the rain has stopped in the following
morning. e Kattus Dara trail is in Eastern Himalayan
Temperate Forest with very narrow width (1.7 to 3.3m
width). Dominating tree species at the recorded sites were
Bamboos, Lithocarpus pachyphyllus, Quercus thomsoniana
and Rhododendron arboretum. Camera Traps in the trail
has also recorded herds of Wild Boar Sus scrofa Linnaeus,
1758 and Macaques Macaca sp. e trail is also used by
Marbled Cat Pardofelis marmorata (Martin, 1837) which
was recorded during two other incidences. Among other
herbivores Barking deer Muntiacus vaginalis (Boddaert,
1785) and Himalayan Serow Capricornis thar (Hodgson,
1831) were recorded in the nearby areas. Much of the
forest lands are converted to plantations, tea estates or
discontinued in this landscape (Kshettry et al., 2017)
which may have disrupted the link between the forests of
terai areas and in the upper North Bengal. Hence, there is
a possibility that the present recorded individual may be
of a dierent population linked to adjoining forest areas
of Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary, Sikkim or to Bhutan
forests. Recent report of the tiger has been conrmed in
the Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary by the forest ocials
of Sikkim which is the rst conrm report of tiger
presence in East Sikkim aer a decade (Lachungpa, 2019).
e recorded individual is whether Royal Bengal Tiger
(Panthera tigris tigris) or Indo-Chinese Tiger (Panthera
tigris corbetti) is yet to be conrmed (Luo et al., 2004).
Whether the Neora Valley National Park is serving as
a corridor between lower terai landscape and forests of
Sikkim and Bhutan or is a viable area for tiger residence
has remained to be studied. Further studies in the region
with camera traps and molecular investigation may reveal
relations between the populations.
Acknowledgement
Present study was part of the project Himalayan Biodiversity
Assessment funded by NMHS, MoEF&CC (Grant number:
NMHS/LG-2016/0011/8509 dated 31st March 2016). We
are also thankful to the State Forest Department of West
Bengal for providing the necessary permissions for the
Study. anks are due to DFO, Gorumara Wildlife Division
II, Range ocer, Lava Division, Neora Valley National Park
and to Mr. Rajesh Lamicheney and other forest guards for
all the help during the survey.
Figure 1. Map of Neora Valley National Park with camera
trap location.
Figure 2. Recorded tiger back view at Kattus Dara,
Neora Valley National Park.
Figure 3. Recorded tiger le view at Kattus Dara,
Neora Valley National Park.

Vol 120(1) | 2020 | www.recordsofzsi.com Zoological Survey of India 91
Paromit Chatterjee, Krishnendu Mondal, Basudev Tripathy and Kailash Chandra
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