Eye of the tiger

On International Tiger Day today, we speak to seasoned wildlife photographers to share their experiences with this ferocious feline

It was in 1973, that the Indian government declared the tiger as India’s national animal. By then the tiger was one of the most endangered species in the world but with this move, the then government tried to put an end to poaching activities and ramp up its conservation efforts in the form of Project Tiger.

Eye of the tiger

Currently there are around 3,500 tigers in the world and India is home to 75 percent of them among the 13 tiger-range countries — Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russian Federation, Thailand, and Vietnam.

These 6 wildlife photographers are sharing their best memories with this ferocious felines.

Splash away (Kaushik Ghelani)

Kaushik Ghelani, Gujarat

Once while on a photography session in Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, we noticed that there was complete silence in the jungle. All of a sudden, a cub of the tigress Paro appeared in the grass nearby and it was being chased by another cub. Seeing the two of them playing, a third cub joined this mockfight session. I captured this breathtaking chasing sequence of three tigers showing off. This is Paro’s third litter after she couldn’t save her cubs from the first two pregnancies. She is now teaching these three cubs to withstand any situation they might face in the wild.

When the beast is as interested in you as you are in it! (Sushil Chikane)

Sushil Chikane, Pune

“As we admired the vultures soaring at the Dhundua falls in Panna Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh and tried to get a shot of the Peregrine Falcon pair , an onlooker asked aloud ‘why is the rock tip at the waterfall orange?’ As I spotted the tiger, sitting on the top of a rock in broad daylight, my smile stretched wide. While I got some decent pictures, I wasn’t too happy with them as the tiger was at a distance. Till now only we had seen the animal but soon the tiger spotted us. It jumped down from the rock and made its way to the base of the waterfall. He kept looking at us at regular intervals as he made his way down and knew we were observing him. Soon after, he disappeared into a cave and we lost sight of him.”

Big strech by T-57 (Ekta Marda)

Ekta Marda, Mumbai

In the monsoon, every inch of the forest in Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan turns emerald. It holds a special place in my heart because of one animal - the tigress Noor. When I had gone out on a safari, I found out there was one other creature who also has his eyes on Noor - the tiger T-57. I was eager to capture this mating pair’s moments, but spent three to four safaris in vain; no pug marks, no sighting, no sign of either of the tigers. But if there’s one thing the forest has taught me, it’s to not feel dejected. So I changed my strategy and ultimately spotted T-57 in the bushes! He was yawning, and stretching his muscles, and that’s when I clicked him, in all his glory!

Jamhol resting on a rock (Priyansha Singh)

Dr Priyansha Singh, Delhi

In 2021, after a disappointing safari at Bandhavgarh National Park, we spotted Jamhol, a tiger come out of nowhere and settle near a pond. This looked like an invitation for a fight with the residing male - Mahaman who has recently had four cubs with a tigress called Dotty. Jamhol’s intrusion would’ve been seen as life threatening. But what happened next suprised us! Jamhol started to take care of the cubs.

This family of seven — Mahaman, Jamhol, Doty and the four cubs have been seen together every now and then. There are speculations that point to Jamhol being a son of Mahaman himself but his mother is unknown. We don’t know why or how the family accepted Jamhol as the power of male tigers and dominance in the territory, is of utmost importance but there have been times where he has been sighted dragging his own kill to feed the cubs.

My hero - the mighty Mahman (Megh Roy Choudhary)

Megh Roy Choudhary, Kolkata

Predominantly a bird photographer, I was drawn to the tigers because of my husband. When I ventured into Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh, I became smitten by Mahman. The way he walked down the road, least concerned about the gypsies around, reflected sheer elegance and majesty. Two months later I planned another trip to Bandhavgarh hoping to spot him. Although I saw a lot of tigers, somehow he eluded me. The first three days rolled by without a sight. On the fourth evening, we received word that he had been sighted. He was inside the thick growth taking rest and after a while everyone gave up and went off in search of other tigers but I was adamant on clicking my hero, head on, as I had dreamt of. Almost on the verge of giving up in the sweltering heat and as the time to return drew near, lady luck smiled at me. After spending a good time in the water, I saw him! He shrugged off the water and rising like a phoenix he walked in sheer grace head-on towards our vehicle. He obliged me with a once-in-a-lifetime shot. Oh,what a sight to behold!

Wild tigress walking on the tracks with three young cubs in Ranthambore national park (Aditya Singh)

Aditya Singh, Rajasthan

By the end of the year 2006, we knew that Machali had given birth to her fourth litter but since no one had seen the cubs. We didn’t even know how many cubs she had. Everyone in Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan was trying to find them. One morning in January 2007, they were spotted for the first time, from a distance, on a plateau called Mandoop. We went looking for them in the same area in the afternoon and found Machali sitting in the middle of the forest path, without her cubs. She just sat on the forest track. We waited patiently and soon after she started roaring softly and three tiny cubs came out from the bushes behind the path, one by one. They nuzzled and played with the mother for some time and then followed her down to a gorge. That day on the January 17, 2007 was definitely one of my most memorable days in Ranthambhore.