Question

Largest tiger population occurs in
A. Kanha National Park
B. Corbett National Park
C. Sundarbans National Park
D. Ranthambore National Park

Answer 1

Hint: In India, there are several tiger reserves. The largest population of Panthera tigris is present in West Bengal. It is a mangrove area in the delta.

Complete answer: The Sundarbans National Park located in West Bengal, protects the Bengal tiger or mangrove tigers. The largest tiger population can be found here. The delta created by the confluence of the Bay of Bengal's three rivers - The Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers is known as the Sunderbans. It is a mangrove area with plenty of mangrove trees. Sundarbans National Park, Sundarbans East, Sundarbans West, and Sundarbans South Wildlife Sanctuaries are four world heritage sites. 'Sunderbans' word literally means ‘beautiful forests’ but it has been named so due to the abundance of Sundari trees in the area. In 2018, the tiger population was estimated to be 86-90 individuals in the Indian Sundarbans. Kanha National Park is also a big tiger reserve in India, located in Madhya Pradesh. It is famous as ‘Kipling’s country’ – named after Rudyard Kipling who wrote The Jungle Book.

So, the correct answer is option C.

Note: The Bengal tiger or ‘Royal Bengal Tiger’ refers to a tiger native to the Indian subcontinent from a particular population of the Panthera tigris tigris subspecies. It is now endangered due to several causes, viz. poaching, habitat degradation, habitat fragmentation etc. In the year 2011, it was estimated to comprise less than 2,500 wild tigers. None of the Tiger Conservation Landscapes can be considered large enough to accommodate more than 2500 adult individuals with an effective population.