Tracking Tigers

Sighting tigers in the wild is totally a matter of chance. But there are things that the guides / drivers do/look for to improve the odds:

1. Track the movement of tigers based on their kills - if a fresh tiger kill is sighted, then it's a good bet that the tiger will be in the same are for the next 2 to 3 days
2. Track tiger pugmarks. Tigers leave behind footprints or pugmarks when they walk on soft soil (like the jeep trails). A good tracker can roughly estimate how long ago these tracks were made. If the tracks appear to be "fresh", then it is definitely worthwhile to follow them as far as possible. Pugmarks are definitely one of the most important signs that indicate the presence of one or more tigers.
3. When predators like tigers move, some of the prey species give out loud "alarm calls" to warn the other prey animals in the vicinity. The calls of Sambar deer, Chital deer, and Langur monkeys are the loudest and most often heard. Loud and repeated calls in an area indicate the presence of a predator. Periodically, the guide/driver will stop the jeep, turn off the engine, and wait a few minutes to listen for alarm calls.

Although we were always on the lookout for fresh pugmarks -- method #3 was the most successful for us. It's interesting to note that the Chital deer and Langur monkeys are often seen together (as you'll notice in my pictures) since the deer benefit from the tree-dwelling monkey's ability to see predators from a distance.

If you are interested in reading more about tigers -- click here or here (ok -- so they are sites for kids -- but they are good reading!)