search in the world's largest mangrove forest for endangered Bengal
tigers following a cyclone that killed at least 180 people.he storm
caused havoc in the Sunderbans mangrove forest, and drove a tidal wave
of saltwater inland.Abani Bhusan Thakur, chief Bangladesh official for
the Sunderbans, told AFP the forest had taken the brunt of Cyclone
Aila, which hit Bangladesh and West Bengal on Monday.He said forest
workers would now search the 10,000 sq.km belt, where a recent UN
survey estimated 650 Bengal Tigers live. "The entire mangrove forest
was flooded by a huge tidal surge. There are some freshwater ponds
which the tigers drink from, but now everything is salty", thakur
said.In India, one of the rare tigers swam into a village looking for
dry ground, said Subrata Mukharjee, the director of the Sunderbans
Tiger Reserve.He said it had been transuilised and put in cage and
would be soon set free. We fear that other Bengal tigers may have
swept away by the giant waves", he added.At least one tiger died in
November 2007 during Cyclone Sidr which killed more than 3,500
people.The Sunderbans forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies on
the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and meghna rivers, straddling the
border between India and Bangladesh. The IUCN Red List estimates there
are less rgan 2,500 Bengal tigers left in the world.
The Business Line, 28th May 2009
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