Ambush in the Corridor

The Bengal tiger, which inhabits the Indian sub-continent, has a proclivity for warm deciduous and tropical forests at low altitudes (below 2000 meters). Until recently, the possibility that tigers may frequent altitudes above 3000 meters was unknown and considered improbable. The notion would invite general skepticism even amongst those who study the animal. A viable habitat for a large predator, at high altitudes would most likely be frequented by snow leopards. However camera traps set up by researchers in 2009 revealed for the first time the presence of tigers at over 4000 meters in the Bhutanese Himalaya. The finding was of empirical value to the team working on a proposal to create a protected corridor for tigers to move across the Himalayan range to breed. Today, the problem for tigers is not restricted to space. Even if governments demarcate protected reserves, it would not guarantee enough genetic diversity to sustain a healthy tiger population. If tigers cannot move beyond their islands, amidst the sea of civilisation, they become susceptible to both inbreeding and disease and could disappear in a matter of years.