As the name suggests, this National Park is situated on the largest delta in the entire world, that is, where the three mighty rivers finally meet only to get sunk into the ocean. These are- Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna. The Sundarban National Park is the largest sanctuary which is situated on the banks of and delta. This national park is not only a National Park but preserves the last few mighty big Bengal Tigers.
- All these things which make Sundarban National Park so exotic and special have made it to finally receive the position of a World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve. The Sundarbans has another special name that is the Ridley sea turtles.
- This national park got its name from the species of tree which are in bulk in this sanctuary, that is, the Sundari Trees. This National Park does not only have Bengal Tigers but also deer, antelopes, giant wild pigs, monkeys, kingfishers, herons, eagles, and hyenas etc.
The location of Sundarbans National Park is very special for its northern boundary touches the islands of Gosaba, Sandeshkhali, and Basanti while its south lies in the Bay of Bengal, Malta and Bidya rivers; its east has the international borders that touch with Bangladesh.
History of the Sundarbans National Park
- Before getting declared as a tiger reserve the Sundarbans premises was a part of 24 pargana division where the dense mangroves lived in the swampy marshy wetlands.
- It was soon declared as a Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger especially for the rare species of Bengal Tigers.
- It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1977 which did not prove to be the best way to save its existing wildlife.
- Then again in 1984, it was upgraded as a National Park which gave all the prohibition rights on hunting, poaching and deforestation in the area.
- This national park is one of the widest and largest Sanctuaries in our country having 4624 sq kilometers of the area under it. The average temperature here is 20°C which makes it ideal for many species of mammals, reptiles, birds, and plants as well.
Flora and Fauna at Sundarbans National Park
As mentioned earlier this is home to the largest Bengal Tigers, saltwater crocodiles, the rare Ridley turtles, Gangetic dolphin, spotted deer, monitor lizards, rhesus monkey, kingfishers, woodpeckers, brahmin ducks and much more. As flourishing as its fauna is, as much is the flora that surrounds this entire place with varieties off Dhundal, Genwa, Kankara, and Sundari etc.