Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary, Wildlife sanctuary in South 24 Parganas, India
Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in the Indian Sundarbans in West Bengal, made up of mangrove forests, river channels, and small islands. The waterways running through it connect to the wider Sundarbans delta, one of the largest mangrove systems in the world.
The sanctuary was established in 1976 as part of a national plan to protect the tiger population in the Sundarbans. It falls within the Sundarban Tiger Reserve, which was launched in 1973 under Project Tiger.
Sajnekhali sits at the heart of the Sundarbans, where fishing communities have long navigated narrow waterways by small boat. The sanctuary's visitor center displays exhibits on how local people have historically lived alongside the forest and its wildlife.
The sanctuary is most easily reached by ferry from Gosaba, or from the Basanti and Gadkhali ports, and boats are the only way to move through the terrain once inside. The cooler months from November to February make traveling more comfortable.
Sajnekhali is one of the few places in the world where Royal Bengal Tigers regularly swim through saltwater channels to move between islands, rather than living on a fixed territory. This behavior is so unusual that researchers still study how these animals have adapted to a tidal environment.
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