Trailing tigers in Mahahrashtra's Tadoba National Park, and everything to know

The evening air laden thick with anticipation was punctured by what sounded like a bark To our untrained ears it was just another jungle soundBut to our guide Santosh perched in the front seat of our open top Gypsy it was a signal he had been waiting to hear all afternoon Shhhhh it is here I tell you 100 per cent the tiger is nearby now said Santosh his voice calm and confidentWe had been crisscrossing the jungle for the last two hours in the Gypsy each stop ending in disappointment No tiger spotted With the sun going down we made a final stop at a waterhole where a few other Gypsies crammed with hopeful tourists had already parked We eased into in a clearing facing the pond expecting the tiger to appear from a raised embankment on the opposite sideAnd thats when Santosh heard the bark of the spotted deer the sound the animal makes to warn other herds when they sense a tiger nearby The bark rang out again but from a different directionJaldi jaldi ghuma Quick quick turn around Santosh motioned to our driver Atul telling him to reverse and head back to a fork in the road we had passed earlier The race was on to be the first out before other Gypsies made it there Atul was adept So were other drivers Without any aggression of city roads the five Gypsies reversed turned and parked at the dirt track fork surrounded by walls of tall grass trees and shrubs And we waited cameras ready Not for longFrom the foliage emerged a magnificent cub her gait assured and unperturbed by the humans lying in wait to shoot it with long lenses Behind followed her sister Both walked together their large furry striped heads occasionally muzzling in playful sisterhoodIt was the moment all safarigoers that day had waited for all afternoon To witness the majesty of an animal as regal as a tiger is indescribable To see it from so close that you could discern every strand of its hair was a goosebump raising experienceSeconds passed and the cubs at about two or three years of age a tiger cub is the length of a pony approached the gathered Gypsys A hushed silence filled the warm jungle air The only sound was the staccato of DSLR camera shutters clicking rapidlySantosh told us that the tigers of Tadoba are so used to seeing safaris that they think of humans and their vehicles as part of the jungle furnitureBut he did give us a tip If the tiger looks at you make eye contact keep your gaze steady and dont crouch That way it will know you are not a preyHe said the two cubs were born to Chhoti Madhu one of the many named tigers of Tadoba The cubs do not get names until adulthood Chhoti Madhu has a third cub a male We didnt see him But we did catch a glimpse of Chhoti Madhu a few hundred metres away She remained hidden while her girls played with each other in front of the Gypsies before making their way to the waterhole to sate their thirstThe forest officer of the area Santosh Thipe not the same Santosh as the guide later told us that the other tigers that roam the area are Shambu Vaiman Chhota Dadiyal so named because of his luxurious cheek hair W because of a W pattern on the forehead and Collar Wali fitted with a tracking collar by the forest authoritiesOf all the animals in the jungle the tiger is the most regal Its demeanour is of a kings It is aloof dignified and above all said ThipeHe pointed out that a tiger will never attack anyone unless it is hungryUnlike humans wild animals are not greedy They kill only when they want to eat said Thipe who is a native of the neighbouring Chandrapur the district headquartersTadoba is one of 58 tiger reserves in the country and arguably the most popular because of its relatively easy tiger spotting It is a three and a half hour drive from Nagpur and has several lodging options around national park in the buffer zoneSafari times are limited to four hours in the morning and four in the afternoon with tourists required to leave the core area by 6 pm in winters a deadline enforced very strictly Tadoba gives tourists the option to enter from 23 safari gatesNo mobile phones are allowed in Tadoba and many other national parks following a Supreme Court directive last yearThe national park is home to about 90 tigers with neighbouring areas which make up the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve accounting for another 100 tigers Just a decade ago there were only 30 in the areaThe Andhari river forms the lifeline of the abundant wildlife in the reserve comprising spotted deer sambar deer sloth bear Indian gaur wild dogs leopards crocodiles storks egrets owls spiders and many moreA safari is a great opportunity to learn about the other life forms that we share our planet with and to pick up interesting vignettes about the national animal For example jungle cats use tree trunks bushes and boulders to urinate and scentmark their territoriesEvery tiger has a unique pattern of stripes and is best identified by the stripes on its flanks drawn by nature in perfect symmetry As the English poet William Blake notedTyger Tyger burning brightIn the forests of the nightWhat immortal hand or eyeDare frame thy fearful symmetryThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever