How sad it is that just two tigers in what is supposed to be a tiger reserve should make for front page news today. If I had known, when I went to Sariska (about three hours’ drive from Delhi) that there were no tigers, I would have saved myself some worry. The thing is, a friend of mine decided to down several glasses of rum and coke, paste a silly smile on his face, and amble off into the tiger sanctuary in the dead of the night. He was looking for a place to nap, you see, and any fool can see why a big rock in the middle of a wildlife park would be the perfect place. Till today, I’m surprised he came back. At about 2:30 am, he ambled back into the hotel where a group of us were staying. And yes, he had the same silly smile that he took with him. I was foaming at the mouth with worry and didn’t know quite what to do at that time of the night, but he didn’t think it was a big deal despite claims that he could smell a big cat somewhere and there was no end of dangerous rustling nearby and all. Sure. It was probably a butterfly settling into bed. So much for a big cat. Though I must admit there was no shortage of leopards there. A few have even been known to slink into Delhi, some years ago.
The two tigers making the headlines have been relocated to Sariska from another wildlife reserve. It’s a first and it’s a tricky and iffy situation. Let’s hope they’re going to get along and make lots of tiger babies and repopulate Sariska. The tigress, incidentally, is incredibly glamorous, so the tiger should consider himself lucky. Here she is http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Flora__Fauna/Mate_for_Sariska_tiger_flown_in_from_Ranthambore/articleshow/3199359.cms and here he is http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/File_After_4_years_Sariska_gets_a_tiger/articleshow/3176131.cms . Both seem to be adept at posing for the camera.
But look at these stunning photographs of tigers at Kahha, one of which graces my apartment. Not the tiger, the picture; birthday present from the photographer, who happens to be…. http://kishorebhargava.com/v/nature/cats .
November 4, 2008
Fabulous pictures of surely one of the most beautiful creatures on the planet
November 4, 2008
Yes, we finished off all our beautiful tigers in this country. When people realized that they suddenly took up the cause and one television channel took it up with a vengeance and I think there’s been an actual increase in their numbers lately.
November 4, 2008
These pics are taken by my brother. One big big one adorns my dining room!
November 4, 2008
GREAT pictures!!
I adore feline hunters!
Did you read the newspaper you linked to said the tigress might be pregnant already in late August.. any news?
November 4, 2008
mala, seriously these have got to be the best tiger pics I ve found online.. I ve searched LOTS for feline (predator
) pics as wallpapers, but found no such nice ones.
Do you think your brother would mind if I used them as a wallpaper on my private computer, of course with no use other than that? They re trully beautiful!
November 4, 2008
No Dina, I don’t think my brother will mind your using his pics as wallpapers. See the rest of them — the strange, strange birds and all — on his site at kishorebhargava.com. He’s got a bird that seems to just hang upside down for a living. It’s yellow and white and looks a lot like a drooping fried egg!
Is the tigress pregnant? Wow. That is definitely good news. I’m glad to hear they got along. Being plucked right out of your territory and plopped somewhere else must be bizarre. After all, you don’t know what competition to expect and have you no idea who this whole territory belongs to. Must be severely disorienting.
November 4, 2008
Well End of August they THOUGHT she might be pregnant, actually they think (thought?) she might have been transported pregnant, which would be good for the future genetic pool of the tiger population there..
i just fear had she really been pregnant already (scientists judged from her behavioral manners) that would have been confirmed by now I guess
thanks for letting me use them
I ll definitely be checking out the other nature pictures! I now have the pretty shot of the “lazy” tiger with the head grounded and ears spread to the sides. Reminds me of my cat s lazy pose on the carpet 
November 4, 2008
that s the one
http://kishorebhargava.com/v/nature/cats/dsc_0109.jpg.html
what a nice wallpaper
November 4, 2008
My god, does everyone have a cat except me!
November 5, 2008
no no actualy we talked about my kitty on another thread!! rmmbr I said I ll submit photos once I get my hands on a camera (dont have one!).
sorry if I ve created the impression every one of your passer-bys has a cat, it s always the same one we re talking about
but it s never too late to get one! (or two, rmmbr we said that might be an option if s/he otherwise were alone too often!)
November 5, 2008
Well no, everyone here so far DOES have a cat! Lorrie has a brand new Siamese and Nadira has a cute goofy cat called Una whom you can hear and see a bit on the Taktaba videos.
I wish I could keep a cat. I live on my own though and am away at work all day. The apartment is too small for cats to be happy in. They’d have absolutely nothing to do. Except knock stuff over or rip stuff to shreds. I wouldn’t be able to give them outside team because there are zillions of stray dogs around and while a cat can hold her own against a dog or two, she probably wouldn’t manage that well with about eight - in a solid pack. And finally there’s the hassle of keeping and refreshing litter trays. There’s not enogh resources around to do that. So… a cat is not on the cards for many years.
November 5, 2008
Oh sorry for you Mala! I must say my cat cannot go outside either.. he s never known it though, and when on my mom s balcony he s pretty much of a “softies” with every breath of a bit colder air he ll quickly go inside.
“talk me somewhere WARM”
Maybe it s coz he s a Burmese, and much like the lovely Siamese, it can never be warm enough for him. In summer he ll be sprawling on a sunny spot near the window no matter how high the temperature is anyway.. in winter he ll be doing the same close to my gas convector, where it gets REALLY hot.I literally cant touch him, his fur gets so hot there
But he s all purring so I guess it s cool for him. Wonder if I should simply move to Asia, maybe that s what he s trying to convey
The Siamese are so cool too..I LOVE THOSE TALKATIVE CREATURES .
Maybe we can share some info on those two breeds here.. is it just mine or are they sprawling around differently? much different from the European cats I ve known in my childhood, he ll be sprawling around in the strangest poses over the day. Very dog-like style sometimes. tiger style too apparently! Maybe I can get him in this pose, would be so funny to put big and small feline next to each other in the very same pose!
November 5, 2008
You must take some pictures of your cat! Send me… I’ll put them up.
November 6, 2008
I ll DEFINITELY do that! once I get my hands on a camera!