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B2 and Other Great Tiger Pics from India
B2 and Other Great Tiger Pics from India
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B2 and Other Great Tiger Pics from India
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Photo and information credits: Xposuretrikon Wild Travel and Photography
"Sonam the bold and beautiful queen of Moharli zone in Tadoba . Currently raising 18 months old 2 female and a male cub."  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Nature Safari India, The Big four Males of Mukki, Kanha National Park: By Sharad Vats.
An unprecedented story has been developing in the Mukki zone of Kanha National Park. Mukki was never known for male Tigers. It was mostly home to Tigresses with cubs and some odd male Tiger showing up. The limping male (father of Munna), used to spend time in Mukki. After him no one really dominated Mukki until about 3 years back, when Umarpani male started showing a liking for Mukki. He is an unusually big framed Tiger. In particular his head is massive when compared to rest of the Tigers of central India. But lately the big four males of Mukki have become a talk of the Tiger world. Bheema  *This image is copyright of its original author But after Umarpani male spent about 2 years dominating Mukki, there was advent of Bheema. Then Rajaram, a.k.a. Kingfisher male, and finally Link 7 since last year started to regularly show up in Mukki. These four male Tigers have developed a liking for Mukki for reasons beyond anyone’s imagination. Actually Mukki is too small a range for four adult Tigers to co-habit. It has become a favorite pass time talk of all Kanha lovers that a deciding battle for supremacy of Mukki is round the corner. Everyone anticipated the monsoon of 2015 to decide this. But when the park reopened in October 2015 these four male Tigers surprised everyone by showing up within the very first week. In 2014 and then again in 2015 there were a few skirmishes that happened between these Tigers. Some were more than simple alterations. People were still discussing Bheema and Link 7 exchanging some blows near Babathenga waterhole when Umarpani and Kingfisher fight went viral on youtube. I have never seen such a voracious fight between two adult Tigers. Few tourists who saw it had some sleepless nights. Umarpani  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author One very interesting point worth mentioning here is how different male Tigers used Babathenga water hole. They had their favorite sides at the water hole where they would sit. And they made sure that they did not overstep their self defined boundary on the water hole. The fight shifted from Babathenga to Umarjhola in summers of 2016. This time it was Kingfisher and Link 7. 2014 had seen emergence of Link 7 as a promising young Tiger. Also known as Chotta Munna, he was shaping up really well and was predicted to take over the legacy of his father. But his enthusiasm and aggression was no match for the girth of Kingfisher who gave him a run for his life. Kingfisher visited Umarjhola for three days to ensure that Link 7 left his territory. In the subsequent week Link 7 showed up again. But this time everyone was surprised as Link 7 had seemingly lost a lot of weight. Was it because of the territory that he got confined to, the undulating terrain of Bada Chattapatra, or something else we don’t know, but he was visibly leaner. Subsequent week, saw Kingfisher male mate with Mahaveer female, and she gave a litter towards the end of summers of 2016. It is predicted that Kingfisher should be able to save his cubs from Mahaveer who in the past has not been a good mother, though a great Tigress. Her past litter with Umarpani male did not survive. Kingfisher, a.k.a. Rajaram  *This image is copyright of its original author The best was saved towards the end of the season. This time it was the Minkur anicut which became the Tiger station. Umarpani male, Link 7 male, and Bheema chose to be present at this depleting water hole on the same day at different times of the day and at different locations in Minkur. Reopening of park in October 2016, will all the Males of Mukki show up this year? With park scheduled to reopen in less than 10 days, all the Tiger lovers of Kanha have their fingers crossed. Everyone has his favorite Tiger. And everyone is hoping that their favorite male Tiger is alive when the park reopens in October. I am eagerly looking forward to my favorite, the Umarpani male. Last one year provided me some amazing sightings of Umarpani male, Bheema, and Kingfisher. But i am yet to see the Chotta Munna, a.k.a. Link 7, the son of Munna. I am very eager to capture him on my lens because firstly it will complete my collection of male Tigers of Mukki. And secondly i have been fortunate to click Link 7’s father Munna, and his grand father too, the famous limping male. So getting Link 7 male will give me 3 generations of one line of Tigers of Kanha. See you soon, you Males of Mukki, or should i say handsome hunks of Kanha. As a part of a comment below the article, there was this little pice added by Sharad Vats: Mukki in Kanha never had so many adult dominating male Tigers historically. This is the first time when 3 male Tigers are of same age, and one is about 2 years younger to the rest. There are skirmishes often between the male Tigers for last two years in Mukki, but surprisingly all 4 seem to be in Mukki. Umarpani male tends to go out of the core of Mukki but does return to the core often. This season since the park opened on 1st October 2016, he has not been sighted till writing of this note. The other three male Tigers, i.e. Bheema, Chotta Munna, and Kingfisher have been sighted. I hope and pray that Umarpani male is safe whereever and soon he returns to reclain his territory. He is usually the shy one compared to the other 3. But the largest of the 4 as of now. This year though Chotta Munna has gained in size substantially, and both these Tigers have the same father, legendary Munna, so strong genes, and most likely it is a matter of time before Umarpani male shows up as well.
Link 7 - Chota Munna - male. Credits to Shashikant Sayare.
 *This image is copyright of its original author
 (10-25-2016, 09:45 PM)Majingilane Wrote: From Nature Safari India, The Big four Males of Mukki, Kanha National Park: By Sharad Vats. this was very interesting to read and i hope we get to sight Umarpani soon. also i disagree with Umarpani being the largest. he has the biggest head but kingfisher's overall bulkier imho. bheema is surely large framed, his weight fluctuates a lot so its hard to imagine him as a heavyweight all year long. Chota munna is still growing and he's a beast. my favorite are Kingfisher and Chota Munna out of the four. Tfs
From Nature Safari India, Safaris in the national parks of India: by Sharad Vats.
Safaris in the National Parks of India opened after the monsoon break with some amazing Tiger sightings. As we all know that the Tiger reserves in India close during the monsoons, which is from 1st July till 30th Sept. Hence during this time it is not possible to do safaris in the national parks of India. So, all the animal and nature lovers wait eagerly for the parks to reopen on 1st October to enter the parks. And out of the 50 Tiger reserves in India, the eye of all the Tiger lovers are mostly on, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Ranthambhore, Pench, and Tadoba. Such is the eagerness of some safari lovers that they book themselves for the first safari on first day. Kanha National Park The news of first phenomenal Tiger sighting came from Kanha this year. On October 1 in the morning safari, Chotta Munna was seen walking from district line. He is the son of legendary Munna. What surprised everyone was his sheer size when he stood against a tree to mark his territory. While he continued to walk, the vehicles continued to reverse. After quite a while he changed course and went towards Chotta chatapatra. Some of the experienced guides knew exactly from where he would come out, and reached that spot. Their experience paid dividends when Chotta Munna appeared from the said trail at the time they anticipated him to come out. Sightings during a safari is not purely luck. When you have experienced guides, and drivers accompanying you in your vehicle then it is a lot of science, mathematics, and the jungle knowledge. The Duel; Bheema and Chotta Munna While some tourists were happy with Chotta Munna’s sightings less did they know that another big surprise was about to unfold in front of their eyes. Bheema, the peaceful warrior, emerged in the Junglescape. He seemed to be following a scent mark. Was he following Chotta Munna? The naturalists around did not take long to guess that indeed he was on Chotta Munna’s prowl. Their fights over last two years has still not ended. Chotta Munna at a budding, youthful, but an inexperienced age of 4, had challenged the mighty Bheema at a competent and seasoned age of 6. Bheema’s efficiency overshadowed the over-confidence of Chotta Munna, and he has repeatedly got Chotta Munna to retreat. But the dominating genes of Chotta Munna remind him not to let go, and he comes back to challenge Bheema quite repeatedly. So far, he has retreated regularly, but he has lately learnt now to avoid injuries in such skirmishes, and simultaneously inject injuries on his opponent. Chotta Munna is surely more richer now having learnt that what does not kill you, makes your stronger. Bheema male  *This image is copyright of its original author It seemed that this territorial tug to establish one’s supremacy left some marks around the neck of Bheema. The claws and canine mark around his neck would have also left an indelible scar on Bheema’s mind to either start relinquishing his domain, or be prepared for an inevitable duel in not so distant future. Happy were those who saw this scene on 1st October. Other Tigers of Kanha Apart from Chotta Munna, and Bheema, other Tigers that have showed up in Kanha are the mighty and legendary Munna, Dhawajahandi female, and Chotti mada. But there is one Tiger, i am earnestly waiting for, the big Umarpani male. He hasn’t showed up till the writing of this note on 11th October. I pray to almighty on this Dussera day that he is save, fighting his ordeals vigorously, and will show up soon. Son of Munna, and Umarpani female, he is bulky, and a dominating Tiger of Mukki for last 3 years. Umarpani male  *This image is copyright of its original author Safaris in Bandhavgarh National Park Bandhavgarh of yore beckons many a Tiger lovers to witness the land of Sita, Charger, B2, Bhamera and some more legendary Tigers. This year once again, the Tiger sightings opened with a prediction that months to follow will be magnificent, and will reinforce the Champion status to Bandhavgarh National Park. Once the area of a handsome young male (Challenger) whose life was cut short by an unfortunate incident, Mahammen is now home to T24 and her cubs. Relax, this is not T24 (Ustad of Ranthambhore). This is T24 of Bandhavgarh. The Tigers in Bandhavgarh are numbered like in most of the parks. So T stands for Tiger, and 24 is her number. She was sighted next to the Mahammen water hole with her cubs. The last two years in Bandhavgarh have belonged to Rajbhera female (T34) and her cubs. This year again she made a public appearance on Bairahani road which was a feast to the eyes of the tourists. Chotti female (T40) was seen with her cubs too. Spotti (T41) was sighted in Tala near Piparadandi. The mighty Bheem male Tiger (T22) was sighted in the evening on 6th October at Patparha in the Khitauli zone. So the good news is that all the zones have had a decent sighting. But my gut feel is that the future months will belong to the Tala zone. Spotti (PD2) in Bandhavgarh National Park  *This image is copyright of its original author Safaris in Ranthambhore National Park The land of the Tiger; Ranthambhore is one Tiger reserve which satisfies the Tiger appetite of maximum tourists every year. It is the location of Ranthambhore which makes it the fastest selling Tiger reserve. So if you have less time on hand, then spend 3 nights in this park and take back home some real memorable Tiger sightings. Due to excellent monsoon this year, all the national parks are full to the capacity as far as water is concerned. This is indeed good news for the flora and fauna of the parks. Ranthambhore as well has it’s share of good monsoon thereby a lot of water in some zones. Currently (while writing of this note on 11th October), it is only zone 2 which is fully open and accessible. Thus the Tiger sighting in this zone specially during the evening safari has been very good. Noor (T39) is sighted often, though her young cubs are not seen yet. But it is a matter of time before the tourists jubilate with the cubs sightings. T39 (Noor) in Ranthambhore National Park  *This image is copyright of its original author In zone 8, which is not so commonly done zone by most of the tourists, the Tiger sightings have taken off very well. T61 is being seen regularly with her cubs. In the celebrity zone 3, Arrowhead, Pacman, and Lighting all showed up on the opening day of the park. Safaris in Satpura National Park In Satpura National Park also, the Tiger sighting happened to some guests on first day, first show. This park might not be a favored park as far as Tiger sightings are concerned. But this park is simply amazing because of it’s bio-diversity. It is a matter of time before this parks also gets branded for good Tiger sighting. An orphaned Tigress from Bandhavgarh which was relocated in the Churna areas has given cubs, and is sighted often in the region. This particular Tigress lost her mother when she was just 4 months old. The park authorities reared her in a large enclosure till she learnt to kill on her own. Then they relocated her in an area which had lesser density of Tigers in Satpura’s Churna range. She made this new home her permanent home, and has given a litter of cubs in Satpura. Lately, a Tigress has been moved from Panna national park to Satpura. She had started to wonder out of the core areas, and started to pick on the cattle. Fearing some resentment from the locals, and to avoid any catastrophe they shifted her to Satpura. Whether this reason is good or bad, only time will tell. But there seems to be more than what meets the eye for this shifting. Is the Ken-Betwa river link project also a major reason behind this shift? Most likely yes, as another Tigress was also moved from the area which they feared will be drowned once the river linking project is completed. Hope that you can make it soon to see some Tigers in the wild. Remember to book yourself atleast 120 days before as the safari permits are now very limited.
Link 7 male - Chota Munna. Credits to Sarosh Lodhi.
 *This image is copyright of its original author
Photo and information credits: Tamanud Mitra
"A full grown male Bengal Tiger is always intimidating! Look at the back of his neck!... These guys can weigh upto 270-280 Kgs and some of them have even claimed to tip the scales at 300+! When you see a big male you instantly feel "HERE COMES THE KING!""  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Nature Safari India, Rajaram (Kingfisher) Tiger dies in a territorial fight in Kanha National Park: By Sharad Vats.
Rajaram, not sleeping but territory marking.  *This image is copyright of its original author Rajaram (Kingfisher) 2010-2016 The inevitable has happened, the unprecedented has ended. It was building up for a little over last 2 years. Rajaram, a.k.a Kingfisher’s body was found in Mukki zone on October 28th morning. Apparently, there were injury signs on his neck and shoulders. So it is concluded that it was a territorial fight. Well, there couldn’t have been anything else in this case. The area where his body was found is right in the heart of the tourism zone, which is monitored well by the forest guards and the tourists too. So, no untoward incident or accident could have happened here. Since almost 30 months Mukki zone was prowled by 4 big male Tigers. Umarpani male, Bheema, Link 7 (Chotta Munna) and Rajaram aka Kingfisher. There were territorial tussles, devilish roaring, blood drops, naked claws, wounds and some scared to death tourists. Rajaram and Umarpani male in a territorial fight. Photo by Naren Malik  *This image is copyright of its original author It was expected in 2014 itself that a fatal fight is round the corner. But all the male Tigers despite the differences had begun to give space to each other. Their intensity and frequency of fights had reduced over last one year. Many thought that these males had accepted each other. But how wrong was everyone in defining the behavior of these Tigers. A very handsome male Tiger in his peak, Rajaram was 6 years old. He belonged to the Neela Nallah litter. Sighting Rajaram during a Safari in Kanha I can never forget the morning of December 13th 2015. We had just about crossed Andh Kuan, when we see this male Tiger walking briskly towards us. We started to retreat. His walk had a purpose. Naren said, this is Rajaram. I threw away (within the vehicle of course) all the winter layers, and was on the starting blocks like Usain Bolt. He walked behind us for over 2kms, and gave me plenty of opportunities to shoot him. Rajaram walked 2kms with us, and made eye contact several times  *This image is copyright of its original author This particular sighting was possible due to my dear Naren Malik, and Preetam the forest guide. A brilliant team effort which saw us cross the line, and gave me immense pleasure. Rajaram a family member to many Sad part was that the news of his death was broken to me by Naren Malik, who sounded shattered on phone. He was unconsolable. For Naren, this is just not a loss of a Tiger. It is loss of a family member. People like Naren are bonded with their Tigers, as they track and see them often, and for years. Day in, and day out, weeks, months, and seasons go by, seeing, appreciating, and photographing these Tigers. It is a personal loss for Naren and other naturalists who love Kanha and it’s Tigers like family. And also for all those whom he showed Rajaram, me included. I feel your pain Naren because of this loss. But my friend, it is a actually a gain. Tigers like Rajaram have left such an indelible mark on people’s mind that those people are today Kanha lovers.  *This image is copyright of its original author Please don’t be distraught, the journey is far from over. Banat Banat Banjaye (keep on keeping on). Who fought and overpowered Rajaram? I am writing this when there is incomplete information on, with whom was the fight? Which Tiger? Hopefully in next few days the Tiger who killed Rajaram will show up with some injuries. For sure Rajaram would have gone down fighting till his last breath. Hence he would have wreaked some serious damage to his opponent. Is that opponent Chotta Munna (Link 7), unlikely, as he was sighted just today morning, absolutely fit. Was it Bheema? Maybe, but again unlikely as he was a bit frail over last 10-15 days, and also injured. Though Bheema had the power going for him, but in current situation it seems tough. So was it Umarpani in that case? Most likely, as in the past they have both fought, and mostly Umarpani male has come out triumphant in all past fights. Besides, Umarpani male out-matches Rajaram in size, strength, and stealth.  *This image is copyright of its original author While writing this piece I can see Rajaram’s eyes looking at me. Rajaram was one Tiger who looked you in the eye peacefully, plainly and assuredly. There were moments during my last sighting that we (me and him) were on same eye level, and not once i felt threatened. Rajaram you will remain in my heart till it beats. You were not beaten my friend, you are liberated. Have a peaceful onward journey. Sharad Vats P.S. He was aka Kingfisher for the sign of a flying Kingfisher just above his right eye. 
I still don't know why they say Uma was larger than KF, from the video KF outsizes UMA by quite a bit.
(10-31-2016, 09:17 PM)Pckts Wrote: I still don't know why they say Uma was larger than KF, from the video KF outsizes UMA by quite a bit. I used to think that. Size wise, I see them as relatively equal, but I agree with Vijay in that Umarpani is better built than Kingfisher. More compact, more muscular and not needing that big belly Kingfisher had to look big. Anyway that is my judgement from looking at pics from them. I still take very seriously the word of the ones that see them regularly. 
Chotta Munna - Link 7 male. Credits to Ameet Jain.
 *This image is copyright of its original author
(10-31-2016, 10:04 PM)Majingilane Wrote:(10-31-2016, 09:17 PM)Pckts Wrote: I still don't know why they say Uma was larger than KF, from the video KF outsizes UMA by quite a bit. That may be the case, but I know Naren said KF was the Biggest t in Mukki but like you stated, "biggest" can mean many things. Naren Malik 14th of October I saw him first time this season, my guide said a new male but I recognized him immediately and said it’s our Kingfisher or rajaram. We all were glad to see him after monsoon, he looked fit and fat. It was heartbreaking news that kingfisher found dead last evening in mukki, eyes were full of tears and heart was not ready to accept, as being human we are emotional fool and have a great bonding with animals. His first appearance was in babathenga area in 2014, where he fought with a male and moved to different area, he hardly interfered in other’s territory after that fight. He made his own territory and mated with Mahaveer female, she is nursing four cubs in mukki. Kingfisher was a very calm tiger who never showed any aggression towards tourists and was considered biggest male in mukki zone. I can never forget the time I spent with this king and will remain always in my heart. Really sad at demise of KING. May you rest in peace dear KF…… (10-31-2016, 09:17 PM)Pckts Wrote: I still don't know why they say Uma was larger than KF, from the video KF outsizes UMA by quite a bit. Kf was certainly heavier than Umarpani and both were heavier than Bheema imho. CM is the smallest and i think even in his prime. he would grow to an average sized male. i dont find him particularly big. 
I was really sad to hear the death of kingfisher, whenever a tiger of this magnitude dies I always have a feeling that the golden generation of tigers talked on these forums for so many years are slowly fading away, machli, bam, kingfisher, all are now gone and cats such as wagdoh and raja mustn't have long left. It is a sad time, but also one for reflection and reminiscence of all the great pictures and discussions these felines have provided for us. Hopefully their offspring can bring us as much joy as their predecessors did.
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