Recently, trap cameras set up as part of a collaborative project between the Sikkim Forest and Environment Department and the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) captured images of a Royal Bengal Tiger in the high-altitude Yali forest, situated approximately 25 kilometers from Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. This marks the first sighting of a Royal Bengal Tiger in this area. Some are saying this is a noteworthy achievement for wildlife conservation. Others are asking if it is due to changes in habitat and climate.
A post on X by the GTF said, ”Big news! Camera traps deployed by the Forest & Environment Dept, Govt of Sikkim, and Global Tiger Forum (GTF), under the ongoing project supported by IUCN-KfW, captured tigers in Pangolakha WLS, and for the first time, in Yali Reserve Forest!”
In December 2023, a Royal Bengal Tiger was spotted at an astonishing altitude of 3,640 m (11,942 ft) in the Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary, located in East Sikkim. This rare sighting, captured by a Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) camera trap, marks the highest elevation at which a tiger has ever been recorded in the country.
The Global Tiger Forum is actively implementing the "Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme" in Sikkim, with critical support from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and funding from the German Cooperation through KfW Development Bank. This essential programme is designed to address the alarming decline in the tiger population in the region, which is facing significant threats from human activities, forest fragmentation, poaching, and illegal trade.
Sikkim is an important corridor for tigers in the Eastern Himalayas. The project in the state has been implemented in multiple protected sites, including Khangchendzonga National Park, Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary, Pangolakha, Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary, and several reserve forests such as Lachen, Lachung, Chungthang, Phodong, Kabi, Tingda, Lagyap, Yali, and Phadamchen.