Consider the following areas: 1) Bandipur 2) Bhitarkanika 3) Manas 4) Sunderbans Which of the above are Tiger Reserves?

The correct answer is B. Bandipur, Manas and Sunderbans are all Tiger Reserves under Project Tiger, launched in 1973, while Bhitarkanika is not.

• Bandipur (Karnataka) is a Tiger Reserve, part of the original Project Tiger list, and is linked to the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
• Manas (Assam) is a Tiger Reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, though it was placed on the 'in danger' list for years.
• Sunderbans (West Bengal) is a Tiger Reserve in the Ganga delta, famous for its mangroves and Royal Bengal Tigers.
• Bhitarkanika (Odisha) is a mangrove ecosystem known for saltwater crocodiles and as a Ramsar site. It is a wildlife sanctuary and national park, not a Tiger Reserve. This is the statement that makes option A and option D wrong.

The core concept here is the distinction between Tiger Reserves under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and other protected-area categories. Questions like this are often used to test whether you can separate tiger habitats from other protected areas. Mains answers on biodiversity conservation and human-wildlife conflict draw on the same framework.

Trap: Aspirants often assume that every large mangrove or wetland protected area is a Tiger Reserve. Bhitarkanika is a classic example of a protected area that is not one.