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The tigers of Royal Manas

​If you walk through the forests of Royal Manas National Park, it is like stepping into the fantasy world of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book.

If you walk through the forests of Royal Manas National Park, it is like stepping into the fantasy world of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book.
 
Below the canopy of sub-tropical forest trees wrapped in vines, amid the undergrowth of shrubs and bushes roam the Royal Bengal tiger, preying on species like the wild boar, sambar deer and water buffalo.
 
It is not difficult to spot a pug mark or come across the majestic, endangered cat. There are numerous tales of tiger sightings and if that is unbelievable, there are camera trap images to swear by.
 
Royal Manas National Park is home to the largest number of tigers in the country, with 29 adults of 131 tigers in the country counted in park. The numbers were findings of the National Tiger Survey in 2021-2022, which was carried out by the Department of Forest and Park Services with support from WWF-Bhutan and other conservation partners. Tiger numbers in the country have increased from 103 in 2014-2015 to 131 currently. 
 
There are hotspots in the park where wildlife flock for water or minerals. Trying our luck to catch a sight of some of the wildlife, we hiked the 2.5 km Zomrong eco-trail, located close to the Bhutan Tiger Center at RMNP. We were a group of communications specialists from WWF-US and Bhutan working on Bhutan’s conservation story. The trail led to a rocky patch of exposed slope called a salt or mineral lick with a creek running below it. Here, wildlife flock for a drink or to lick on the rocky patch to get the minerals that their bodies require. Across the salt lick is a watch tower for rangers and visitors.
 
Crunching through a carpet of dried leaves, flailing at the wispy webs of giant spiders, and jumping over pounds of elephant droppings as we tried to listen to each other over the intense shrill calls of the cicadas, we heard a commotion among the group ahead. It was tiger pug marks along the creek.  
 
The heat, humidity and leeches that somehow crawl into your shoes and socks or under your blanket of hair, all seemed worthwhile. To be this close to the majestic creature was incredible. It felt like an accomplishment.
 
Camera traps are also placed in strategic locations, two of which are placed near a water hole, just outside the walls of the tiger center.
 
So, besides the Royal Bengal tiger, what makes Royal Manas National Park special? According to the park’s Range Officer Tshering Dorji, “We have the tiger of the land, and the tiger of the river”.
 
The snaking Manas river basin, which holds Mangdechhu, Drangmechhu, Kurichhu and Chamkharchhu host a variety of aquatic life, among it the exotic golden mahseer. The tiger of the river or Sernya (golden fish) as known in Bhutan, a symbol of luck and auspiciousness. The golden-scaled fish rules the river as the Royal Bengal tiger rules the land.
 
While the number of the golden mahseer is not known, a telemetry study has been carried out by the Department of Forests and Parks Services and WWF-Bhutan to gain better insights of this species, its movement, ecology and threats. Like the Bengal tiger, the golden mahseer is an endangered species.
 
Until 2015, not much was known about the species. Research carried out between 2015-2018 has provided insights which have translated into policy decisions like revision of the Forests and Nature Conservation Rules and Regulations of Bhutan 2017, which legalized recreational fishing for golden mahseer. Illegal fishing was found to be the immediate threat to the species as is illegal hunting for the Bengal tiger, including retaliatory killings. Other risks for both species are loss of habitat caused by human encroachment and development works and impacts of climate change.
 
Flyfishing enthusiasts are often brought to Zhemgang by tour operators to try their luck at catching one of the world’s most prized catches. Besides being the ‘tigers’ and sharing the status of endangered species, the two have another commonality. They are among WWF’s ten flagship species of ecological and cultural significance, key to sustaining a healthy and resilient natural ecosystem in Bhutan.
 
 
The oldest national park
 
The Royal Manas National Park is the oldest protected area in Bhutan. Established in 1966, it is the fourth largest park in the country spreading across Zhemgang, Sarpang and Pemagatshel. The park is connected to Phibsoo wildlife sanctuary and Jigme Singye National Park by biological corridors. With a shared transboundary landscape between Royal Manas and India’s Manas National Park, the protected areas are rich in biodiversity of immense ecological importance.
 
It is an hour’s drive from Panbang, the closest settlement near Royal Manas, and a biodiversity hotspot on its own. It is perhaps the only place in the country where a boat is used to get across a river. The boat is used for ferrying park officials and visitors from the road end to the range office, which is located on the right side of the river.  

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