Research overview: tigers and prey in the Terai grasslands

The tall-grass and riverine forest mosaic of the Terai along the Himalayan foothills supports some of the highest tiger densities on Earth. This overview reviews how the exceptional productivity of these floodplain grasslands sustains dense populations of chital, hog deer, swamp deer, and wild boar, which in turn support abundant tigers in relatively small territories. It examines how seasonal flooding, grassland management, and the interspersion of cover and prey create ideal conditions, and how these landscapes also concentrate conflict with surrounding agriculture. The synthesis links habitat productivity to the compact ranging and high density of Terai tigers, contrasting them with prey-poor northern forests. For enthusiasts it explains why reserves such as those in the Terai are flagship tiger strongholds and why the fertility of grassland floodplains makes them disproportionately important for the species.