Tigers of North-Eastern India

[Pckts]

Antarjit Singh
Scarface of Kaziranga!

Despite Kaziranga reportedly having a tiger density of 32.64 tigers per 100 sq.km, the highest in the country, it's not every day that you get to see these beauties, primarily because of the vast vegetation and tall grasslands and on top of that the typically shy and elusive nature of the tigers in the region.

On our very first day and first safari, we saw a sub-adult tiger few feet away from our jeep, as soon as it sensed our presence it ran away into the thickets at the speed of a bullet even before we could pick our camera and shoot. On the second day morning safari after spending some time shooting the great Indian hornbills, we decide to have a round of the park and went on to check a lake. On reaching the lake we were greeted by this male tiger staring at us. No alarm calls, no pugmark tracking, just the right place and at the right moment. To much of our delight, this male didn't shy away and continued staring us for 10-15 seconds before moving on. His injured right eye and scars on the face is a sign of a territorial fight with another male. He looked old and ferocious but had all the grace, dominance and boldness. This sighting lasted for around 5-7 minutes approx, is one of the most memorable one and on par with my Sundarban Tiger moments

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