India’s aging tigers will receive their own “old-age home” in which they will be safe from poachers. Forest officials say the reserve, located in the Sunderbans delta near Calcutta, will help slow India’s tiger population decline, the BBC reported Monday. Official estimates put the number of tigers at around 3,700, but conservationists say there could be fewer than 2,000. Hunting and rampant poaching of tigers for their body parts — used in traditional Chinese medicines –have brought the animal close to extinction. A special task force has found that 100 to 125 tigers are killed each year in India. Old or wounded tigers often stray into villages near forests looking for easy prey, such as people or livestock, and are often killed by angry villagers. Chief conservation officer for the Sunderbans forest, Atanu Raha, said the special rehabilitation center would cater to sick and aging tigers that are not able to hunt and fend for themselves. It also would treat ailing and injured tigers and then release them back into the wild. The Sunderbans marshlands measure nearly 3,860 square miles and are one of the last surviving natural habitats of the tiger. © Copyright 2005 by United Press International

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