Sher Khan’s big day

A moment with MunnaMunna at Kanha National Park Pic CourtesyS LodhiIn 2007 wildlife photographer Sarosh Lodhi the foundermember of wildlife group CLaW came across a tiger at Kanha National Park With no other vehicles in the vicinity the photographer went all out clicking the big cat on his old filmbased SLR camera ldquoI developed the images and posted them online After seeing the pictures a friend asked me if I had noticed the markings on the tigerrsquos facerdquo shares Lodhi When he looked back at the pictures he found that the markings were shaped like the letters C A and T ldquoThese were natural markings Back then nobody had noticed them Later the tiger went on to become one of the most celebrated tigers of Kanhardquo recalls Lodhi who has photographed the tiger Munna for over a decadeConservation tip According to CLaW data tiger mortality has seen an unprecedented rise in 2021 with the total deaths pegged at 92 till July as compared to 98 in all of 2020 Lodhi points out that as a developing country India is bound to have development projects ldquoBut all these have to be done with a strong resolution to first find an alternate alignment And secondly if the project has to be carried out on or around forest land then it must be done with a lot of mitigation measuresrdquo says Lodhi pointing to how the construction of NH7 on KanhaPench Corridor despite mitigation measures leads to road killsSister actEarlier this year in February conservationist Kedar Gore director The Corbett Foundation visited Ranthambore National Park ldquoThere are two siblings Riddhi and Siddhi daughters of a famous tigress Arrowhead I spotted one of the sisters near a talao for a drink after she had just made a kill It was an absolute beauty she walked right next to our vehicle The sighting lasted for 20 to 25 minutesrdquo recalls Gore Conservation tip India has around 72 to 75 per cent of the worldrsquos wild tigers mdash the success of Project Tiger claims Gore ldquoNow there are around 51 tiger reserves But tigers also exist outside tiger reserves TThe areas around reserves or connecting to them donrsquotalwayscome under the purview of the forest departmentit could be privately owned There the priority might not be the welfare of tigers Such areas too should also be taken care of and monitored or they are exposed to perils like poachingrdquo he cautionsBig cat close upA cub sleeps in the thicket at Tadoba National Park Pic CourtesyDarshan KhatauIn 1993 conservationist Darshan Khatau was researching with renowned tiger expert Dr Ullas Karanth at Nagarhole National Park He was walking along with an assistant on the field when a tigress Mara crossed their path ldquoSeeing a tiger from a gypsy and up close standing a few feet away from you are two different experiences She looked at me and then passed by Irsquove seen tigers upclose but this stands out as it was my first sighting on footrdquo he saysHis other memorable sightings include tigers mating in Ranthambore and a recent visit to Tadoba where he found a tiger cub sleeping in the undergrowth ldquoHe was lying in the thicket and only his face was visible Itrsquos one of my favourite picturesrdquo he says Conservation tip Tourists have to be disciplined says Khatau ldquoWhen you have tourist vehicles surrounding the big cat it gets nervous So tourists must behave themselves wear appropriate clothing and cell phones shouldnrsquot be allowed as this craze for selfies disturbs the environment It can be dangerousrdquo he suggestsOn the tiger trailgtgt Test your GK by taking part in an online quiz conducted by the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in VisakhapatnamOn Today 10 amLog on to vizagzoo on Instagramgtgt The Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Kerala is giving people an opportunity to submit videos on nature and wildlife conservation on International Tiger Day with a chance to win goodiesLast Date August 10Log on to parambikulam_tiger_reserve on Instagramgtgt Learn about the majestic animal at this fun sessionOn Today 4 pm onwardsLog on to wwfindia on Instagram