Fertility Stories Immortalise Collarwali Tigress of Pench Tiger Reserve

 

She was a superstar of Pench tiger reserve. The tigress that livedmore than 16 years and delivered a record number of 29  cubs in8 litters died on January 15 evening. Collarwali, as she was fondly referred toafter a radio collar was put around her neck in 2008, was darling of wildlifetourists who would visit the tiger reserve. They would remember the tigress forher ‘catwalks’ on the pathways of the national park giving them ample opportunitiesto click pictures. She would make easy wildlife photography. Collarwali was immortalizedafter scores of national and international documentaries were made on her. The Departmentof Post in India issued a special cover envelope of Collarwali  on World Sparrow Day in 2015 Besides, NewZealand and Canada too issued personalized stamps on the tigress in the sameyear. The park director said she died because of old age complicationsin her intestine.  Apall of gloom descended over Pench while her funeral was performed on January 16.

RIP Collarwali

Officially code named as T-15, Collarwali was last sighted on January 13 when “she could hardly walk”. Wildlife lovers who wereused to see her graceful strides were heartbroken. “As she grew old, she wasweak in October last year but later recovered and was regularly sighted inNovember and December”, a park guide said.  But January was bad for her. Despite her oldage, he said, she pushed ‘Langdi’, one of her siblings out of her territory fora while. “The January cold was also accompanied by heavy spells of rainfall andhailstorm. This might have caused harm to her”, a local   tourist guide and a great fan of the tigress said, almost weeping. Another emotional guide held “park authorities responsible forher death”.  Rest In Peace (RIP), he said.Wild animals should be born, live and die naturally. And Collarali seemedto have followed this law of nature.

Also read: World Awaits Another ‘Good News’ from Collarwali of Pench

Prior to this queen of Pench there were many tigresses who lived a long life in the wild.  She was immensely popular among tourists for her frequent sightings and camera friendly attitude.  But T15’s story was different also. The longevity of life and tourist friendly nature was also accompanied by her amazing fertility.  She was extremely fertile .As she gave birth to 29 cubs, she not only populated the Pench Park, but her progeny are also  spread over Satpura tiger landscape . Pench tiger reserve is nestled in the southern slopes of the Satpura range in Madhya Pradesh and it also comprises the Pench Mowgli Sanctuary and a buffer. It is also believed to be the same forest area portrayed in the famous "The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling and derives its name from the river Pench. 

Fertile Felines Keep the Hopes Alive                      

Tigresses like Machli , a celebrity of Ranthambore  tiger reserve,  (1996-97 – 2016)  was probably one of the most elderly tigresses. Like Collarwali, she played a key role in the regeneration of the tiger population in the park in the early 2000s and was  very popular with monikers like Queen of Ranthambore, Lady of the Lakes, and Crocodile Killer. 

Also read: Are Tigers denied Honourable Death?  

When she died she was considered as the oldest living tigress in the wild.  Machli might have lived longer than Collarwali, she could deliver only four litters giving birth to eleven cubs – seven females and four males. Machali's offspring increased the tiger population in the park significantly – from 15 tigers in 2004, to 50 tigers in 2014. Eventually more than half of the tigers in the park were of her lineage. In the case of Collarwali, her progeny populated large parts of Satpura tiger landscape spread over MP and neighboring Maharashtra jungles.  Fertility stories of felines like Machli and Collarwali among others keep the hopes of tiger stories of India alive. 

Cover Image Courtsey :Pench Tiger Reserve