Tuesday March 12
This morning we drove to a different section of Kanha but didn’t see all that much— some new birds, two herds of Guar, and a new species of Mongoose (the Ruddy Mongoose). The afternoon drive was a very different story. We took a slightly leisurely pace stopping to see various birds and mammals as we made our way to check on the female tiger from yesterday. We found her sleeping on the same bank above a pond as yesterday. We heard from some of the park staff that early this morning she killed a small spotted deer and dragged it through a line of Jeep watchers. It was clear that she was not going to move anywhere after having a good brunch.
We drove off to investigate other tiger locations. The park guide we had got a call from his father, a forest ranger, that a tiger was following a stream. We headed off for that area. We heard repeated alarm calls, and briefly saw a tiger walking through the thick underbrush parallel to the road. Our local driver and guide knew exactly where to park our vehicle for us to see the tiger emerge from the forest. However a tiger did not emerge, two did! They were two brothers about two years of age. They left their mother last December, beginning to demonstrate they can survive independently, and they will soon separate, finding their own territory. Once they have done so, the park rangers will name them. Currently they are referred to as “cubs of MV3”.
Pictured: the brothers, gaur, spotted deer doe and fawn
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