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3-year-old tigress is Ranthambore’s new queen
JAIPUR: Three-year-old tigress Arrowhead now rules the coveted lake area in the Ranthambore National Park after ousting her mother T-19 (also known as Jhalra Female)
JAIPUR: Three-year-old tigress Arrowhead now rules the coveted lake area in the Ranthambore National Park after ousting her mother T-19 (also known as Jhalra Female) from the territory.
“For the past three-four months, we have been spotting Arrowhead in Zone 3 (area around the lakes) of the park. T-19 has been pushed to a different area,” Sudarshan Sharma, divisional forest officer, said.
Tigers lead largely solitary lives. They also establish and maintain territories but have much wider home ranges within which they roam and hunt.
The 2006 born T-19 had mated with T-28 (Star Male) some three years ago and had given birth to three cubs, one of which is Arrowhead.
The elusive and shy T-19 had mothered a litter of three earlier as well. Before Arrowhead took over the lake area, T-19 had been ruling over the largest territory in Ranthambore for the past four-five years. “It’s all about power. The one who is stronger will rule. Arrowhead is in the prime of her life and is likely to rule for the next six-seven years,” says Sharma.
He also said on an average, a tiger reins for three-four years, until a more powerful rival wrests the territory.
Arrowhead is the grandchild of Machhli, probably the most celebrated tigress Ranthambore has ever had and which ruled the park, roughly from 2000-2008.
Machhli had given birth to T-17, T-18, and T-19 in 2006. T-17 had taken over the lake area from Machhli while T-18 established a territory in the Nalghati Phoota Banda - Phoota Kot area. T-19 was left only with the Mandoop plateau, which during the summers has very few permanent waterholes and a low prey density. But when T-18 was relocated to Sariska, T-19 took over her territory.
