As we started on our last safari of this trip to Tadoba, I was just playing back the last couple of days in my mind. Matt had come all the way from Charlotte to Tadoba to realise his childhood dream of seeing “a” Tiger in the wild. We were over the moon since we had seen three different Tigers on this trip. And the sighting of the 15 year old Wagdoh male was the highlight of our trip.
Being the first vehicle to enter the park during the morning drive, our guide pointed out that we had a good chance of sighting the Tigress with cubs. So I kept my fingers crossed. As the safari tracks took a slight turn to the left, there she was.
The Tigress, popularly known as Choti Tara, along with her two sub-adult cubs was sitting right on the safari road in front of us.
Our guide pointed out that we had a 5-10 minutes alone time with these Tigers before the next vehicle got there. We positioned the jeep at a safe distance, so as not to disturb these Tigers and we drank in the sight. At one point one of the cubs looked at us (above).
As I took the, picture, I thought that it would be a lovely sight if all the three Tigers looked at us at the same time and kept the camera ready, just in case.
The Tigress and cubs soon settled down and it seemed as if they were taking a snooze (below).
Suddenly the cubs woke up and stared at the jeep making a lovely picture (above). It was evident that the cubs were getting restless and we were about to see some action. In the meantime, we got this beautiful picture (below) as well.
And in a flash, the portrait I was hoping for, happened for real. All three Tigers looked at us at the same time and we were quick enough to capture it as the feature image (first picture) of this post.
I also switched to my 600mm setup and got a closeup portrait of this majestic Tigress – Choti Tara, as she stared at us.
Thomas Suresh Anand
Wildlife in India, experience in pictures - Walk the Wilderness - A blog on wildlife in India where we share our experiences in the various national parks through wildlife photos
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