Much to the delight of wildlife enthusiasts and conservationists, a tiger was photographed in Neora Valley National Park amid controversy regarding the existence of big cats in North Bengal.
Although foresters had claimed that big cats exist in Buxa Tiger Reserve, many tiger experts doubted their presence in North Bengal.
State Chief Wildlife Warden Pradip Vyas told PTI that Neora Valley is located at a height of around 7,000 feet and the big cat was photographed by the driver of a vehicle yesterday.
Last year, camera trap images showed the presence of a tiger in the upper reaches of Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh at a height of 12,000 ft.
"The photograph showed that the tiger is young and healthy. It corroborates our view that there is presence of big cats in North Bengal. But, it is perhaps for the first time in last four decades that a tiger has been photographed in North Bengal", he said.
On whether it is a resident tiger, Vyas said, "Everything will be clear after we get the report of West Bengal forest and biodiversity project which is underway. This will find the status of the big cat population in North Bengal."
He said tigers also existed in Jaldapara and Mahananda apart from Buxa.
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