Pench National Park - Tigers!

I was so lucky to see 3 tigers on my trip to Pench. The tigers that I saw on my morning safaris were both sleeping (the second one woke up while we were there). The tiger that I saw on my one afternoon safari was viewed at 6:15pm (about 30 minutes before the park closes). I can't tell you how thrilling it was to see the tigress walk out of the woods and then wind her way along the jeep trail on her way to a watering hole.

The BBC program "Tigers - Spy in the Jungle" was shot at Pench -- and according to our naturalist, the tigress that we saw walking out of the woods was one of the cubs in the film.

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Tigers are the largest members of the cat family and are renowned for their power and strength. There were eight tiger subspecies at one time, but three became extinct during the 20th century. Over the last 100 years, hunting and forest destruction have reduced tiger populations from hundreds of thousands to fewer than 2,500. Tigers are hunted as trophies, and also for body parts that are used in traditional Chinese medicine. All five remaining tiger subspecies are endangered.

While the Project Tiger initiative launched in 1972 initially reversed the species' population decline, the decline has resumed in recent years; India's tiger population decreased from 3,642 in 1990s to just over 1,400 from 2002 to 2008. Since then, the Indian government has undertaken several steps to reduce the destruction of the Bengal tiger's natural habitat in India. In May 2008, forest officials at the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, India spotted 14 tiger cubs. In June 2008, a tiger from Ranthambore was successfully re-introduced to the Sariska Tiger Reserve.

Tigers live alone and aggressively scent-mark large territories to keep their rivals away. Tigers use their distinctive coats as camouflage (no two have exactly the same stripes). They lie in wait and creep close enough to attack their victims with a quick spring and a fatal pounce. A hungry tiger can eat as much as 60 pounds in one night!