Homework--A short story about the Mangrove Forest through the eyes of the organisms living in them.

Please print your story on A4 sheet, Font- Gill Sans, Font size-11.Each story to be about 5 pages, inclusive of pictures and sketches. Prizes for the best 3 stories will be awarded. Evaluation- Relevance of the story, language flow, creativity+ originality+ imagination and presentation.

Saboo, the Royal Bengal Tiger

HI friends, my name is Saboo.I am a Royal Bengal Tiger. I am the national animal of India. I live in the Sunderbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world. Unique in its bio-diversity of impenetrable mangrove forests, meandering rivers, and lush green mangrove flora and diversity in fauna, Sunderbans mystic beauty acts as an alluring force to lovers of nature. Alongside rarity of sweet water and absence of electricity in the area has been a challenge, which through time has been made peace with.

We tigers are omnivorous.To survive we eat anything like boars, fishes and even human beings at times. My father hated human beings because there was a time when our uncles and aunts were killed and captured by human beings.My grand was killed by the villagers when he went into a paddy

field by mistake. He had become old and could not see properly at that time. The villagers had cleared a part of the forest to make home for themselves.

Ten years back a group of three poachers came to the mangrove forest .They set a trap and unfortunately I fell and got caught in trap. I roared and roared for help.Just then my friend Kaka the jungle crow came and saw me. He flew and alled our friendsTutu, Futu the turtles. Tutu and Futu came and saw the huge net that was around me. They started biting the net .Slowly they

started cutting the net . But soon the poachers heard me and started coming towards me. Kaka jumped on one of the poachers head and pecked on it.The second poacher tried hitting Kaka with a stick. Kaka flew up and again attacked the poachers. Seeing Kaka struggle with the

poacher

s another friend of ours Sara, the stork came to peck

the poachers with his beak. Frightened the ran inside their tent to hide.

poachers

Meanwhile Tutu and Futu were taking a long time to bite the net.They had very strong teeth and were working very hard at the net.But the net was very big.I still could not come out of the net. Just then I thought of Coco the estuarine crocodile who lived in a nearby swamp. We hated each other.He would not allow me to fish in his area and I too did not allow him to come out of

the water. But at that time Coco was the only person who was strong enough to help me with the poachers. I called Kaka and asked him to go to Coco and ask for help.Coco would be happy to see me dead rather than help me.So I sent him a deal to allow him to come out at nights and hunt on land if he saved me from the poachers.

Kaka went to Coco, sat on his back and tried convincing him. At first Coco did not agree.He told Kaka to buzz off. But Kaka told Coco about my deal.Kaka told him how happy we could all be if all lived as friends. Coco thought for a few minutes. By then the poachers loaded their guns and came back. They started shooting in the air but Sara escaped from their bullets. Coco then told Kaka his plan. He said he is very slow on land.He would not be able to attack all three poachers if he came on to the land. He told Kaka to somehow make the three men fall inside the water. Then he could easily overpower them. Then Kaka came and told me Cocos idea.Just then Sara came and told us the poachers are approaching us with guns.Then I thought of Raja , a King cobra who lived on the tree above where I was caught in the net. Just when we were discussing he came out to see what the commotion was all about. Raja was sleeping when the poachers had set the trap. But in the morning when he saw the net he knew humans were around. He was waiting to have a feast. Just then the poachers came with the guns. Raja jumped on one of them ,bit him poachers and started tangling around him and crushing him. Seeing such a huge king cobra attacking their friend the other two ran towards the water. Then Coco attacked the poachers and caught one of thems leg. The third man ran for his life .

Finally we got rid of all the poachers and Tutu and Futu freed me from the net. Me and Coco are now good friends. We stuck to our deal. At night he would come to the land to hunt and also allowed me to fish at times. The third poacher, Kaka told me that when he went to the forest rangers and told them how his two friends got killed by my friends ,instead of helping him they arrested him for illegally entering

the tiger reserve and trying to capture me for money. I no more hate humans.They are protecting us,Tigers. I now live in the Sajnekhali Sunderban Tiger Reserve. We at this reserve are all endangered species. The humans come as tourists to see us but we dont attack them. We only pose for their photographs nowadays.

Thank you Mangrove Forest 250 in 97 tiger population Olive Ridley turtle estuarine crocodile