In the past, the majestic tiger was plentiful throughout the subcontinent. It was both feared and worshipped as the vehicle of goddess Durga, while also being misunderstood and admired. Unfortunately, in modern times, man has nearly exterminated this magnificent creature, leaving few of us with the knowledge of what a tiger is truly like up close…
During a time when tigers were being hunted for sport, the Maharaja of Dholpur commanded a beat. About two hundred men were organized in a wide semicircle, using drums and canisters to flush out the tiger who was hiding in the undergrowth and direct him towards the hunters positioned in a vehicle at the other end. However, the particular tiger had different plans. Instead of running towards the vehicle, it suddenly turned and tore through the line of beaters.
While attacking, its right fore paw accidentally landed on the head of one of the beaters, resulting in a horrifying crunch as bones were crushed and the man’s head and neck vanished into the thoracic cavity.
The tiger possesses extraordinary strength, yet it does not solely rely on its strength to overpower its prey. Being primarily a solitary creature, the tiger emphasizes stealth and surprise attacks. To prevent its scent from betraying its presence, the tiger approaches its prey from up-wind, while meticulously stalking and observing its target. This relentless pursuit takes place gradually, with the tiger’s ears laid back, legs tucked beneath it, and belly grazing the ground. Throughout this process, the tiger skillfully utilizes any available vegetation for concealment. Eventually, the tiger elevates itself into a crouching position, displaying perfectly coordinated muscles filled with determination, before swiftly pouncing on its prey. The tiger typically initiates its attack from the rear, pressing its chest against the target’s back while forcefully seizing the neck with its canines. The sheer weight of the tiger often breaks the victim’s spine instantaneously. In cases where additional measures are required, the tiger sinks its claws into the trachea and maintains a firm grip until the prey is suffocated to death. The tiger expertly exploits its powerful retractable claws to capture and firmly grasp its prey, taking great care to sharpen them on tree trunks.
Like a hunter anywhere, the tiger is savage, showing no mercy to its victims. However, unlike humans, it does not kill for amusement. The tiger kills in order to survive and ensure the well-being of its offspring. If lives are lost and blood is shed on the forest floor, it is simply part of nature’s design. If tigers were to suddenly change their dietary preference and become vegetarian, their prey species would proliferate unchecked, disturbing the natural equilibrium. Simultaneously, as tigers only kill to fulfill a fundamental biological need, there is no risk of them eradicating a specific prey species.
The tiger’s eating habits are quite interesting, especially his table manners. After making a kill, he typically brings it to the shade of a bush for a peaceful meal. Starting from the rump and hind legs, he is a meticulous eater. With a swift and precise movement of its claws, he opens the stomach cavity and removes the stomach and intestines. These are often carried some distance away and discarded. If the kill is large enough, a tiger can feast on it for 4 – 5 days, consuming all the flesh, small bones, skin, and hair. Interestingly, the hair serves as roughage in the tiger’s diet, aiding digestion. After satisfying his hunger, a tiger may hide the remainder of the kill to return to it later. Sometimes, when completely full, he may not hunt for a day or two.
The tiger is a nocturnal animal, spending most of the daylight hours near a nullah, in shallow water or in bamboo. It hunts at dusk or dawn, but hunting in our forests is difficult, with only one in ten attempts leading to a successful kill. The tiger’s coloring helps it blend in with the forest, but the kakar, langur, and jungle babbler quickly spot a carnivore and sound the alarm. The prey species are also alert and have a strong instinct for self-preservation.
In the wild, a tiger may not be hostile. It is possible for two adult males to touch heads while passing. However, the tiger is still a territorial creature that marks its domain by spraying trees, similar to a dog. The tiger also protects its territory by regularly patrolling and utilizing its mighty roar, which can be heard up to three kilometers away when emitted by an adult tiger. Anyone who enters a tiger’s territory is highly likely to encounter death. As a punishment for this trespass, numerous leopards have been killed and consumed.
The mother tiger is highly regarded by Valmik Thapar, a renowned authority on tigers. Thapar acknowledges her dedication in devoting every moment of the first two years of her cubs’ lives to their nourishment and care. This encompasses suckling the cubs and ensuring they receive a diet of fresh meat, which is no easy feat. Not only does she hunt on their behalf, but she also exposes the tender inner layers of meat at a kill for her offspring to consume. If the mother tiger detects any danger to her young ones, she will delicately lift them by the neck and transport them individually to a new den.
A tiger acquires all its skills from its mother, who demonstrates how to stalk a moving animal by constantly flicking her tail from side to side. The mother also imparts knowledge on attacking, timing the attack, and maintaining a safe distance. She engages in playful family games with her cubs but swiftly admonishes them with a low growl or a gentle paw swipe if necessary. The cubs remain with their mother for two years before venturing out on their own. While some siblings may choose to stay together longer, eventually they each go their separate ways.
According to Valmik Thapar, it has been a commonly held belief that male tigers will consume their own offspring based on the discovery of baby tiger claws in the droppings of adult male tigers. However, Thapar reports a case where a male tiger visited his family regularly and actively provided them with food, dispelling any notion of infanticide. On the other hand, if a tigress loses the father of her cubs and finds a new mate, the new father is more likely to harm or kill the existing cubs as he desires to father his own offspring and the tigress will not be ready to reproduce until her current litter is grown up and independent.
Jim Corbett, the renowned hunter-naturalist, has played a significant role in correcting misconceptions about tigers. According to Corbett, tigers do not have an inherent instinct to prey on cattle or humans since these do not typically comprise their normal diet. However, there are instances when a tiger resorts to attacking them due to the inability to pursue its natural prey, whether due to old age or serious injury. Ordinarily, a tiger would use its tongue to clean wounds, which usually heal swiftly. Nevertheless, if the injury is severe, such as those caused by porcupine quills or lodged bullets, or if the tiger has a broken limb, the animal becomes helpless. Deprived of the ability to chase and driven by hunger, the tiger targets the easiest sources of food – cattle and humans. Hence, individuals who engage in stealing cattle or preying on humans become products of their circumstances rather than being born with such tendencies. Naresh and Rajesh Bedi, famed wildlife photographers who have created captivating documentaries focusing on tigers, once went after a tigress with that purpose in mind at Kanha National Park. They remained in close proximity to the animal, never straying more than 30 to 50 feet away from it. The tigress allowed their team to follow closely due to their extensive time spent in her presence and her familiarity with them. Additionally, her good temperament played a role in this acceptance. Naresh Bedi emphatically cautions against pursuing a tiger if it is in the process of stalking its prey.
The Royal Bengal Tiger, known for its magnificent appearance with reddish brown color and broad black stripes on its head and back, resides in the mangrove forests called the Sunderbans. The tiger has adapted to life in estuaries where fresh water mixes with salt water. It is smaller and more lightly built compared to other tigers, making it the only semi-aquatic tiger in the world. While tigers are known to be skilled swimmers, the Sunderbans tiger is particularly fond of hunting in water, feasting on fish, crabs, and turtles. However, this tiger has gained a reputation as a man-eater for various reasons. The local population, including grass cutters, wood gatherers, and honey gatherers, often enter the mangrove forests where they may unknowingly disturb a sleeping tiger or a nursing tigress with cubs, resulting in fatal encounters. Additionally, when the Sunderbans tiger observes fishermen carrying their catch, it may either jump into their boat or tip it over to claim its share. This sometimes leads to deadly confrontations with fishermen. Experts suggest that the tiger’s taste for human flesh may have developed due to its exposure to the salty estuarine waters over time.The observation is that these tigers rarely drink from any of the eleven fresh water tanks in the area. However, it is important to question the veracity of this detail.
After reading this, I hope you have gained more knowledge about the tigers in India and have realized that they are not typically man-eaters, unless provoked. Like any animal, they become mad or defensive when disturbed while sleeping (just like I do). Additionally, mothers are naturally protective of their young. It is inevitable for a powerful animal like the tiger to cause fatalities. As you can probably tell, I hold a deep fondness for tigers, which is why this paper is lengthy. However, I believe that the information provided is important and worth including, especially considering I had four days to work on it.
