Tigers of Tadoba#10

[Praveen Siddannavar]

It was early morning probably around 7am and we were driving back from Jamun bodi referred to the name of a water hole where we had some amazing sightings of the Pandherpouni Tiger cubs. As we drove & hit the main road, a tigress was spotted resting on roadside on our left. The tigress was too close for my 500mm lens so I had to use the 100-400mm lens. Our Naturalist cum guide Manish Varma informed us that she is "Chotti Tara meaning Little Star and named after her mother who was named as Tara. This Tigress seemed quite relaxed and our presence didn't bother her. Within no time few more Gypsy's gathered seeing this lovely lady. The most distinct identification of hers is the blister on her nose & it looks like a permanent one, I managed to cross verify her images clicked by my friends last year & even the blister was present that time. A little later she walked on the road fearlessly in presence of some 6-8 jeeps, it was amazing to watch her so close. And not to forget Chotti Tara brought in more luck for us that day and we had about 9 Tiger Sightings on a single safari.

Camera Canon EOS 7D Canon 100-400mm lens
EXIF - ISO 400 Av 5 Tv 1/250 sec, Focal Length