Photos of a royal Bengal tiger were recently clicked in the high-altitude Yali forest in the mountain state of Sikkim, making this the first time that a tiger was sighted in this forest.

Yali has no previous tiger sightings on record.

Photos of the tiger were found in trap cameras installed at Yali, a reserve forest located around 25km away from Gangtok, jointly by the state forest and environment and the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) under its tiger habitat conservation project, the GTF announced.

“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! (sic)” stated the GTF on X.

In December 2023, a tiger was sighted at Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary, also in Sikkim.

In Sikkim, the GTF has been implementing a project called “Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme” in the Himalayan state of Sikkim. During the last two centuries, the tiger population in the region has been declining for several reasons, which include anthropogenic pressure, forest fragmentation, firewood collection, poaching and illegal trade.

“Sikkim is no exception to these anthropogenic pressures. The state is a critical corridor for the majestic big cat in the Eastern Himalayas. With increasing anthropogenic stressors, tiger conservation in Sikkim has become more pertinent for preserving the genetic diversity and long-term survival of tiger and its prey,” the GTF stated.

The GTF has been running its project, supported by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and funded by German Cooperation via KfW Development Bank for the conservation of tigers in Sikkim.

The project has been taken up at the Khangchendzonga National Park, Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary, Pangolakha, Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary and at the reserve forests of Lachen, Lachung, Chungthang, Phodong, Kabi, Tingda, Lagyap, Yali and Phadamchen forests.

According to the GTF, the project’s aim is to set up and standardise protocols for tiger monitoring and research in the state, reduce human-wildlife and human-tiger interface, increase the overall household income of local communities, strengthen institutional capacity and maintain an effective monitoring and patrolling regime, while also maintaining the sanctity of the environment.

Through the project, the GTF also intends to focus on the assessment and monitoring of species and their habitats, including the corridor within Sikkim, the Sikkim-Bengal state border and the Sikkim-Bhutan international border.

Tiger-specific training will also be imparted to at least 100 forest officials and frontline staff, sources said.