Tiger Directory

[Ashutosh]

@georgegram, no that is not how tigers are given numbers across National Parks. This is only specific to Panna. After tigers were exterminated, Panna’s rewilding programme came up with this plan.

Founding tigers were numbered T x (as they were not originally from Panna but were located there). T7 the massive male who is also the last one introduced is still around (has fathered P141’s multiple litters). Most other founding tigers have passed.

The tigers who were born in Panna after relocation were codenamed P abc (a is mother (T1,T2,T4,T5,T6 from founding tigresses or a mother who was born in Panna itself). b is the litter number and c was the cub number that was assigned.

For example P243 is T2’s son or her third cub which is from her fourth litter (she had 6 litters and 23 cubs if I remember). Same way, P 213-21 is Kanhaiya. He is P213’s 1st cub from her 2nd litter.

Other Parks like Ranthambore assign numbers based on chronology of tigers leaving their mothers and establishing themselves. It’s a decent system to get ages of tigers correctly most of the time. Like in Kanha, Neela Nala is T121 whereas Junior Bajrang is T118 which means most likely Junior Bajrang is older but not by much. Reply