Skip to main content

End of an Era In Bandhavgarh: Tiger Pujari Killed In Territorial Battle With D1

The iconic male tiger, admired by thousands of tourists and feared by rivals, reportedly died after a fierce clash in the Khitauli range. Bandhavgarh National Park has lost one of its most recognizable and beloved tigers. Pujari (priest in English) , the majestic male who ruled hearts as much as territories , is believed to have died following a violent territorial clash with D1, another dominant male from the Khitauli range. Tourist guides noticed his sun-salutation poses at water bodies and a priest  like calm in the cat, giving him the moniker.  For wildlife lovers and regular visitors to Bandhavgarh, the news marks the end of an unforgettable chapter in the park’s rich tiger history. Several WhatsApp groups of tourists, guides, and wildlife enthusiasts have been flooded with tributes to the iconic tiger. While many stories circulating after Pujari’s death may not fully conform to scientific wildlife interpretations, they reflect the immense popularity of the big cat and t...
Post a Comment

Love Life of 'Papa' Tiger: A Threat to Cubs?


Shouldering the responsibility of the four orphaned cubs after the death of his mate on May 15 in Panna tiger reserve, the male tiger seems to have been courting two tigresses ringing alarm bells for the young ones. Initially the tiger apparently refused the company of tigresses . After the death of their mother – the tigress P213-32 - the male tiger 243 has not harmed the four cubs. They have now turned 10 -months old. So far the tiger has protected the cubs from co- predators.  On  July 29, the World Tiger Day, we bring an amazing story of the tiger family from Panna where the park management is learning new lessons on the behavior of the top predator every day.  

United they Stand, Kill and Survive

On May 15 2021, the tigress 213-32 died of “unknown illness”. The tigress was survived by the four cubs which were about 7 months old and their life was at risk.  But  the tiger P243 .considered as their father  ,always remained around them . The tiger not only protected the cubvs but also  shared  kill with them  when the big cat had hunted a Sambhar deer on  May 21, six days after the death of the mother.

Also read:Lonely Panna Tiger Misses Mate While Rearing Four Cubs

Hunting for a tiger means identifying a prey, chase and kill it without getting hurt. Most of the big cats catch their prey from behind  and   chock  the neck  of the prey with its powerful jaw . But all this requires skills, passed on by their mother. Though the cubs have yet to develop hunting skills in the absence of their mother, they are learning how to kill. “They can now kill a live prey, if it doesn’t run and is of suitable size”, said the park director Uttam Kumar Sharma.  “It is a long journey for cubs to learn the required skills, first for acquiring all the skills of killing a live prey and finally hunting down the prey. And this will take time”, he observed.  The cubs will be considered safe  at the age of 14 months.

P243 and his Love Stories


The satellite data of past one and half months seems to have bothered the park management a little. It shows lots of movement of Tiger P243 outside its known territory.   The data revealed some interesting developments . The movement of  tiger P243 showed  that   10 days after the death of his mate, the tiger had come in close proximity of a tigress P213-63 on May 25. But the relationship did not last longer. No further interaction was found between them. Later Tiger P243 was seen frequently moving in the areas of two tigress  code named P652 and P653. Both tigresses are about two and half years of age but “yet to be seen pairing with any male tiger.”  But the park management always suspected “some relationship”. On July 22, it was observed that P243 was found with another tigress. He was also carrying some injury marks possibly  the result of fighting with some tiger. Next day an elephant search party was dispatched and the party confirmed the suspicion– the tiger P243 was found with tigress P652. Both seem to be enjoying each others company. 

Also read:  Diamond Digging To Destroy Tiger Corridor In Bundelkhand 

Those injury marks were minor but it suggested that P243 and Tigress P652 came together after the former had a fight with other male tiger in the area and won. However, the identity of the other male tiger is yet to be ascertained.  Tiger P243 also has been observed courting with Tigress P653. Due to his courtship with two tigresses, P243 is spending less and less time in cub’s territory and latest satellite data reveals that he was not seen near cubs’ since July 16 . Currently both the tigresses - P652 and P653 -maintain their own territory but with the entry of Tiger P243, there are chances that one of them may move closer to cub’s territory in future. And this may create new equations in the tiger family. The park management is vigil.

What Lies Ahead for the Tiger Family


If the tiger P243 pairs with other tigresses (P652 or P653 or both), how the situation will emerge? Will there be any changes in the behavior of P243 towards the cubs?  If any tigress comes close to cubs’ territory with Tiger P243, will this become a threat to them?  “These are the new challenges and no one knows what lies ahead in the store for the tiger family.  “It will definitely shed more light on the tiger behavior and  it will be a new learning  and valuable experience for the tiger reserve management and to all those who now feel related to the continuing and evolving story”, says Uttam Kumar the park director .
Labels:
Location: Panna National Park, NH 75, Madhya Pradesh 471405, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ken-Betwa Project:Dam of Doom for Panna Tiger Reserve

  As the two states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh signed the controvertial Ken-Betwa   linking project (KBLP), considered as an environmental catastrophe, the cost of the trees proposed to be cut is anybody's guess, especially after an expert committee   report submitted in the Supreme Court recently. Besides, the best of tiger country will also be submerged and disconnected from the Panna national park which is all set to bear the brunt. All the good work of the tiger reintroduction programme in the tiger reserve is going to be flowed down in the project water. The number of tigers in Panna varies somewhere around 65-70 which includes 20 cubs.   Priceless Ecology to be Submerged A five member committee of experts for the first time set a guideline on the valuation of trees and  submitted a report in the Supreme Court in a case related to West Bengal where 356 trees were required to be felled. A tree’s monetary worth is its age multiplied by Rs 74,500...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tiger Corridor : Now Satpuda Melghat National Parks Connectivity At Risk

Much- hyped wildlife friendly NH7 passing   through the famous Kanha -Pench forest corridor and named after the two famous national parks should have 11.81 kms long under passes to let the wildlife have a safe passage. Instead the National Highways Authority of India (NHA) overlooked the rules and constructed only 4.41 km long underpasses compromising their dimensions.  Similarly in NH6, only 2.95 km of mitigation work was done against a schedule 8 kms length. Not everybody knows this truth.  Now NHAI seems to be completely violating the Wildlife (Protection) act 1973 while constructing a road patch on NH46 ( Hoshangabad -Betul). This is a functional tiger corridor connecting Melghat and Satpura tiger reserves. Now the connectivity is also as threatened as the tiger itself.  No Lessons Learnt From NH6 Kanha- Pench Corridor The reduced length of structures in  MH6  and NH7  -connecting East with the West and  North with the South  respect...
2 comments
Read more

3 Years In: Unveiling the Truth About India's Cheetah Project

Three years on, India’s cheetah reintroduction struggles with poor science, delays, and missed grassland goals. In September 2022, the arrival of eight cheetahs from Namibia to Kuno National Park was hailed as a conservation milestone. Five months later in February 2024, 12 more spotted cats arrived from South Africa. The initiative, branded Project Cheetah, carried lofty ambitions. It aimed not just to restore the world’s fastest land animal to India’s landscapes, but to revive open natural ecosystems (ONEs) — the grasslands, scrublands, and savannahs that are among the country’s most neglected habitats. By reintroducing a top predator, policymakers hoped to spark wider conservation attention, diversify India’s wildlife portfolio beyond tigers and forests, and make ecological amends for a human-caused extinction. The Cheetah Action Plan set out a clear roadmap: import 5–10 cheetahs annually for a decade, create a metapopulation across multiple states, secure and restore grassland hab...
Post a Comment
Read more