B2 and Other Great Tiger Pics from India

[Roflcopters]

The Rise and Fall of Euco | RIP (Aug/2015)

Always remember the cold winters of December, its mist, fire and plot. For the fires of December gave birth to an ember, one i never forgot.
The blue winter of 2009 was where it all began. Under a thick blanket of mist moved a mysterious family. Their flames, a fiery orange, set the lantana ablaze. Three tigers drifted through the densely wooded Eucalyptus forest towards their mothers distant roars. Only one paused to look at us. They say embers are pieces in a dying fire, but who knew little piece of ember was going to spark an entire forest and soon grow to be the most feared and most loved predator to walk this jungle i resided in.
The golden summer of 2012 was nearing its end. Two and a half years had passed and the famous Sherkhan who ruled the backwaters was no more (The forest for the next week had an eerie silence and like a witches cauldron, you could sense something big was simmering deep in its depths. Rumours of a new male started to emerge as tribesmen spoke off a fearless creature that walked the backwaters at midnight.
It was early July when i first heard him. I blew darkness into my bedside lantern and loved listening to the sounds of the forest. The steady of hum of crickets, the eerie cry of a nightjar and the family of howling jackals were a few that made my night but nothing compared to the deep echoes that reverberated through the valley. There was nothing more beautiful than sitting out my verandah and listening to a tiger roar and announce his arrival. A new King was here, and i couldn’t wait to track him at sunrise.


It took weeks before i got my first glimpse of the emperor. His empire was flooded with water as the mighty monsoons of 2012 made it very difficult for us to track him. The undergrowth was thick and the rain was relentless. We parked our vehicle under a tree and waited for the downpour to subside when a friend pointed at the narrow road that led to the Eucalyptus plantation. Just like the tribesmen had described him, he was fearless in his approach and extremely curious. He walked up to us and sat under the same tree we had parked our vehicle under. Together we waited for the rain to pass and when it did he picked himself up and vanished into the unending foliage. Later that night i compared his stripes with every tiger i had previously photographed and hours later i found a match. The blue winter of 2009, a family that had evaporated into thin air like that mornings mist. All but one, the same one who paused to look at us and the ember who silently grew. That night around the bonfire was special, we raised a toast to the birth of a new king, the birth of a tiger we named Euco (for his connection with the Eucalyptus plantation).
The drought of 2013 saw the backwaters recede to near nothingness. Kabinis meadows were flooded with game as a small river that ran though the dry backwater scape became the only source of water for most of the animals in the area. From camp we would often see herds of elephants and gaur come to drink and at sundown we would hear the shrill cries of deer announcing Eucos presence. From Jan to April we sighted him 72 times (from camp and on safari) and the summer of 2013 undoubtedly became Eucos summer. We slowly fell in love with an animal who allowed us into his life. We shared intimate moments and created wonderful memories as he has left us clue after clue to find him. We tracked him everyday and spent hours studying his behaviour. We watched him raise families and protect his kingdom. And just like he took my heart, he grabbed many more from those who visited his Kabini.


As time passed, Euco grew into his prime. He was the perfect dominant male but sadly in the jungle, life is never too far away from death. It is scary to think that every one of us and the creatures around us won't last forever. We are all but recent blades of grass on the same old backwater meadows of life. This life may be different but it still holds the same principles. There is no real difference between the grass that grows and what walks it. Eucos meadows taught me the value of life. Within us lies a future ghost which will someday perish. May Eucos ghost haunt the backwaters until new blades of grass grow and give birth to new life and a new King. For he shall rise, just like Euco once did but unlike Euco, may he fall gently, for every king deserves a gracious death.
- Euco unfortunately died a few days ago under bizarre circumstances. He apparently injured himself chasing a leopard up a Forest Department house in the jungle. Whatever the cause is, he died an unnatural death and left us far too early. I spent hours with this cat over the past 6 years and enjoyed over 250+ sightings of him. He was closest to my heart and its the end of a huge chapter in our books. May his soul rest in peace.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

The Giant Kingfisher male from Mukki (April/2016)

*This image is copyright of its original author

The biggest male tiger of Mukki going for a walk
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