Bhutan tigers reach new high

From “The Hindu” Online edition of India‘s National Newspaper
Monday, May 19, 2008

Thimphu: Bhutan is the only country to have tigers at incredibly high altitudes, where their habitat is overlapping those of the elusive snow leopards, conservationists in the Himalayan country have claimed.

Fresh pictures and pugmarks from the Jigme Dorji National Park show that Royal Bengal tigers in Bhutan are being found at altitudes never seen before. Authorities say the tigers are being found at heights overlapping the habitat of the snow leopard.

The study, which started in April, is using 38 strategically placed GPS-marked and infrared-trigger cameras to find out the total number of tigers. It will also be extended to secure a photographic record of the total number of snow leopards in the country.

The reasons for tigers being found at such high altitudes will hopefully emerge from the study. “We may also get data on how the overlapping of territory of these two big cats may be affecting each other, if at all,” said ‘Tiger’ Sangay of the Nature Conservation Division. — PTI

http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/19/stories/2008051951442000.htm