Orphans......

[Dipankar Mazumdar]

Dear All,
I have sad news to report, The Mother of the Sub adult tiger cubs pictured in this thread was killed by a Male. The incidents unfolded over the last weekend when i was in Ranthambhore. On wednesday night (1st April) the tigress was injured while defending her cubs, she was seen limping by the forest guards in the Zone-5 and the same was sealed off form Tourists. However on Friday night, there was another fight with the male and the body of the Tigress was recovered on saturday. the Cubs are well, as of now but face an uncertain future. They can hunt on their own , but the male still threaten their existence. Also if they are driven out from the protected area, they may fall prey to poachers in the lesser protected areas outside the park.

I am attaching a picture of the cubs, taken on 15th march.

Its sad, but i guess this is the way nature works.

Cheers
Dipankar

[Chitrita Chatterjee]

what a beautiful pic... and sad story...
I only hope the cubs survive...

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Dipankar,
This is your best picture till date. I like the framing. You have managed to click with their faces in the clear. A lower angle would have helped, but it is not always possible. I would have preferred a bit more sharpness.

It is sad to hear that the tigress got killed. The tigress will fight for her cubs and won't mate with a different male if she feels that its cubs are still not grown up. However, I feel these cubs can survive catching small prey and scavenging. The cheetal fawns would be easy targets and they can manage a few during their combined hunts.

Most of the adolescent tigers don't reach adulthood, as they are often killed by fights with other tigers, or killed by poachers, poisoned cattle kills etc. If prey density is high, then tigers can survive in smaller areas.
Cheers,
Sabyasachi