Felids Interactions - Intraspecific Conflicts

[Pckts]

‎Parag Bhatt‎ 


A Mother-Daughter Duel in Ranthambhore National Park
Contrary to what I have always observed on my countless trips into the wild wherein I’ve always seen the mother doting on her young & protecting them; this time around, I experienced something which left me spellbound!
I witnessed this exciting moment in Ranthambhore National Park on my recent trip there. We were on a full day safari and after traversing zones 1~6 without much luck we chanced upon Sultana (daughter of Noor) sitting in a small puddle of water and watched her sleep for close to 15 minutes. Since the sighting didn’t accord any opportunities for photography and our stomachs were already growling by then after an early breakfast, we decided to have lunch. We left her to rest and moved to find a shaded tree where we could have a quick munch, post that we went to check on Sultana again. The scenario was a little different from the time we had left. To our surprise, her mother Noor was sitting some distance away in another puddle. Both were maintaining a safe distance from each other. We watched them for a while after which the mother got up from the puddle and started to walk down towards us. We immediately moved ahead to get head on shots of this majestic beast. As we were shooting, our guide spotted the daughter Sultana (who had by now also left the puddle) stalking the mother from behind. Unaware of her daughter creeping up behind her, Noor was ambling towards us on a narrow path. In a flash, Sultana darted towards her unsuspecting mother and an encounter followed which lasted for about 20 secs and left us in awe! I can still hear the growls each time I think about this encounter. The paws swiping at each other was an antithesis to the playful nature of the cubs during their growing years with the mother taking a soft swipe to set things in order. In the first photo you can see them sizing each other up and then lunge at each other in the subsequent ones with tables turning in each frame. To the right is the mother who finally surrendered and walked away meekly. Fortunately, no one was hurt in this encounter.
This duel of a young and independent daughter (Sultana) with her mother (Noor) presumably for territory and dominance will always remain etched in my memory and as I always maintain ‘Nature Never Fails to Amaze’ 

Sizing Each other Up

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The mother (on the right) lunges at her daughter

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The mother seems to have an upper hand

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Here, the tables turn

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The mother lies on the floor vanquished

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jashkothari_99

I think this might be the best picture of tigers I have ever created. This is Kajari Female and one of Banbehi Female's Male Cubs. This shot was captured in the Tala Zone of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. The couple were fighting directly after mating and it was a unique and rare experience.

indianwildlifeofficial

Here’s my first and where everything for me started. Machali fighting her sibling at the start of their independence. .
The image won me an award, made a lifelong friend with my BFAM @dickysingh and started ? affair with tigers that you know continues to this day. Even though this is an old shot, when I had hair, I still love it. .
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