Witnessing a Live Hunt

As a wildlife photographer I visit India's prime tiger lands like Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Dudhwa and Tadoba regularly . Though all of them are fantastic in their very own individual ways, I am a bit partial to Bandhavgarh and Tadoba . And that is perhaps because I have been visiting Bandhavgarh from 1992 and that Tadoba has not disappointed me ever in the last six years. I have been fortunate to see and photograph almost all famous felines of Tadoba during this period and have written about one of its tigresses, the P-2, in my earlier blogs and who I regard as one of the most iconic surviving big cats of India today .  Incidentally this incident, which can be said to be a training hunt, is also about her.


I was in Tadoba last month from 19th to 24th to photograph P-2's three ten months old cubs. They were quite small when I saw them last in December 2015.

On 20th April I was on a morning safari at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve and parked at the southern end of the Panderpavni waterhole #1 where tigress P-2 happened to be sitting just opposite at the far end east bank of the drying lake with her three ten months old cubs. It was early morning but the April heat was oppressive. The lake was almost dry but for some water at the middle. After sometime the feline family started walking towards the lake and dashed in to waters to cool off. The cubs started swimming and frolicking. That went on for about 15-20 minutes when the cubs came out of the water chasing each other. The tigress glanced at them and then, slowly, she also came out of the water and sat down at the bank looking across the lake with her head held high. That was undoubtedly a stately stance and a classic  Royal Bengal Tiger pose. The shutterbugs went ga- ga and started sounding the rapid fire burst of their cameras. And then the tigress got up and started walking in the direction of the southern end where I was parked. But her demeanour was  changed. From her body language she looked very alert . She was now crouching and keeping her neck outstretched as if on the trail of some prey.

On the southern end, where I was parked, was a Dhak tree about some sixty feet away at 11Ó'clock position. Sitting under the shade of that tree and obscured by the surrounding tall dry jungle grass was a full grown ruminating Gaur or Indian Bison. But nobody saw the Gaur till the tigress came up walking all the way from the opposite side of the lake and made a lightening like charge in the grass at the unsuspecting gaur. That was quite natural also. You do not look here and there when a tiger comes walking towards you. You get mesmerized.

The charge was fast, precise and ferocious. In one swift stroke the tigress hocked the left hind leg of the gaur. The huge bovine could not react or get up. It was immobilised in its place and sitting helplessly there on the ground started baying painfully.



The tigress then gave out a faint growl. That was her call to the cubs to come over . The cubs arrived there in no time and started biting and pawing the live prey. The mother tigress sat nearby watching the cubs practicing their hunting skills from a close distance. From time to time she walked to the cubs to reassure them and help overcome their nervousness . She seemed to be saying " Children go on. You are doing good, And don't fear . Look I am here with you".

The poor gaur was in great agony as the cubs were biting him to death very slowly. It was very natural also. The ten months old tiger cubs neither have proper killing techniques nor the physical proportions, especially the canines, to take on big animals. 

It was just a chance that I happened to be at the right place at he right time and witness  just once in the life time like event. Now I love Tadoba even more .

<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-2331515138562989"
     crossorigin="anonymous"></script>