Consider the following statements about "Pangalokha Wildlife Sanctuary”, recently seen in the news: 1. It is located at the tri-junction of Nagaland, Manipur, and Assam. 2. It is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger. Which of the above-given statements is/are correct?

The correct answer is option 2. In News Deccan Herald: Royal Bengal Tiger spotted in Sikkim at an altitude of 3,640 metre. Key Points Pangalokha Wildlife Sanctuary: The Pangalokha Wildlife Sanctuary is located at the tri-junction of Sikkim, Bengal and Bhutan and is spread over 128 square kilometres. Hence statement 1 is incorrect. ​ It is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Sikkim. The Pangalokha Wildlife Sanctuary is located in East Sikkim district and connected to the forests of Bhutan and Neora Valley National Park in West Bengal The sanctuary is home to a diverse range of species, including red pandas, snow leopards, Himalayan musk deer, Himalayan goral, and Himalayan black bears. The Royal Bengal Tiger was captured by trap cameras of a team of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) which is conducting a study. Hence statement 2 is correct. The tiger may be utilising the higher ranges of the sanctuary as a corridor to enter the forests of North Sikkim from Bhutan. Previous tiger sightings in the North Sikkim region indicate a potential connection between the adjoining Kyongnosla Alpine and Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary. ​The BNHS team was conducting a biodiversity assessment of the sanctuary as part of a project called "Conservation and Use of Five Wetlands in three Himalayan states to secure Habitats of Birds Migrating within the Central Asian Flyway (CAF). Additional Information Tigers in India: India is home to over 75% of the tiger population globally. As per the latest report on the Status of Tigers in India, the tiger count in the country has surged to 3,167 as of 2022 . India is home to 54 tiger reserves spread across 18 states . India accommodates a total of 54 Tiger Reserves (with the most recent addition being the Dholpur-Karauli Tiger Reserve. India achieved the target of doubling the tiger population four years ahead of schedule (2022) of the St. Petersburg Declaration on tiger conservation. Project Tiger 1973 : Project Tiger is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched in 1973. It provides havens for tigers in the country’s national parks .