Question

All Sundarban tigers are
A. Man-eaters
B. Good swimmers
C. Eaters of fish and crabs
D. All of these

Answer 1

One of the wildest, most dangerous places on the planet is the Sundarbans, bordering Bangladesh and India. It is a land hostile to human beings where the Tiger is still the jungle king. The Tigers, however, have turned their backs on their natural prey inside the world's largest mangrove forest and started hunting humans instead.

Complete Answer:
- The Sundarbans is a tidal jungle that has been formed where the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers join the Bay of Bengal and are the last refuge for the Royal Bengal Tiger.
- The Sundarban Tigers are responsible for up to 50 human deaths a year in bad years. No one knows precisely why these tigers appear to be more aggressive than those in other parts of the globe and why they have developed a human flesh taste.
- Aged, sick or wounded tigers may find it easier to kill humans, and after feeding on human corpses following cyclones that are common in the region, some tigers may have added people to their diet.
- While it is a known fact that water is enjoyed by big cats, these mangrove experts are a step ahead and are great swimmers.
- Sundarban tigers frequently swim for long distances, and often even large river confluences 2-3 kms wide. As this vast aquatic landscape is a mosaic of islands where tigers roam in search of prey and to patrol their territories, swimming is extremely necessary. Chital and wild boar are present in the mangroves but at low densities.
Therefore, the tigers here are killing and eating everything, from crabs to humans.

The correct answer is option(D) All of these.

Note: For these tigers, life in these mangrove forests is a challenge due to muddy soil, sharp pneumatophores, changing water levels due to tides twice a day, water salinity and prey scarcity. In reality, it is a mystery how tigers in such hostile circumstances have survived. Furthermore, the loss of habitat due to construction projects, prey base poaching and rising sea levels are all threats to these swamp tigers.