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Janet Baldey travelled on one of our Tiger tours and submitted this entry to our writing competition.
Tigers, India
Huddled in blankets against the pre-dawn chill and still groggy from sleep, we swayed against each other as our jeep lurched along the rocky path leading deep into the heart of the jungle. Then, one hissed word cut through our torpor and tiredness vanished: ‘Tiger!’. The ‘Gypsy’ jolted to a stop, the engine cut and, in the sudden silence, our heads swung to the right, following the line of our eagle-eyed guide’s pointing finger.
There, in a clearing beside the track, their vibrant colouring muted by the swirling early morning mist, was the outline of, not just one, but two adult Tigers, one much larger than the other.
‘A mating pair,’ breathed our guide.
Not daring to speak, we sat as if turned to stone while the male Tiger prowled around its mate. Lazily, she raised her head and looked at him and her tail twitched. They nuzzled briefly, then the male turned impatiently, circling his lady three times before slipping silently into the jungle. Still the Tigress lingered. ‘Was she rejecting him?’ we wondered. Then, it came. The sound we had travelled thousands of miles to hear: haunting and atonal, vibrating through the air, a wild Tiger’s mating call: ‘AAARROOOM!’ Then again: ‘AAARROOOM!’ Its yearning intensity made us shiver. It obviously stirred the Tigress as well because, with one fluid movement, she rose to her feet and disappeared into the gloom leaving us, our eyes straining against the dim light, desperate for one last glimpse.
‘They will be together for about seven days before parting. And, yes, a litter of cubs is certain,’ we were told.
It was then that somebody said: ‘Does anybody realise what day it is?’
Mouths opened as pennies dropped. Of course! It was February 14th 2015.
Our Indian friends weren’t aware of the day’s significance but when it was explained, they were delighted and later the whole lodge at Tadoba buzzed with the news that our party had witnessed a mating pair of Tigers on St Valentine’s Day and, what’s more, had been the first of only two jeeps on the scene.
This wasn’t our first sighting and it wasn’t our last. Soon after arriving, we’d trundled around the jungle delighting in its sights and sounds. Groups of Spotted Deer grazed on fruit that a group of hyperactive langur monkeys threw down to them from the trees, while Scarlet Minivets, Purple Sunbirds and parakeets fluttered from branch to branch like living jewels. From all around echoed the insistent piping of barbets, a bird that never seemed to tire, sad-eyed Samba Deer peered nervously from the shadows and groups of Wild Boar rooted in the earth. But, all the while, we were cushioning ourselves against the disappointment of not seeing a Tiger, which all realised would be unlikely on our very first game-drive.
We were wrong. On turning a corner we suddenly ran into a log-jam of jeeps and Indrajit, our tour leader, leapt up, his face alive with excitement. ‘When you see a sight like this,’ he cried, ‘it means only one thing!’
Sure enough, lying half in and half out of a lake, a tawny-and-black striped shape basked in the late afternoon sun. It was unclear how long the Tigress had been sleeping but, judging from the number of jeeps, it had been for some time. Although late arriving, we were lucky. A bit of skilful manoeuvring on the part of our driver and we had a clear view. As we watched, she raised her head and yawned.
‘If she yawns, five times, she’ll get up,’ we were told, but the Tigress had obviously not read the manual, for after the third yawn she rose. From out of kohl-lined eyes, she cast a brief smouldering glance in our direction and padded leisurely up the slope towards us. Completely unfazed by the long line of jeeps following her, she sauntered along the track leaving it only to mark her territory. At last, she tired of our attention and disappeared abruptly into the bush.
The other animals in the jungle were fascinating: immense Gaur, the largest cattle in the world, boar, Sloth Bear, Leopard, Dhole, jackals and a plethora of birds, monkeys and deer, but it was Tigers we had come to see and they didn’t disappoint. We had seven sightings in all, each one unique and memorable.
What’s more, seeing a Tiger in the wild never palls, judging by the delighted grins and ‘high fives’ given by the local drivers when we had a particularly spectacular view. The thrill of seeing this charismatic big stripy cat is obviously addictive, and now we are hooked and can’t wait to go back.
Read more about our Tiger Tours.