Tiger's

Destiny

by

Anthony Marr

Part 2d

What must be

saved

at all cost.

Wildlife

and

Habitat

A young Sambar

stag

strutting

his stuff.

Chital and langur

monkeys

hang out together for mutual

predator warning.

A family of wild

boar in idyllic Ranthambhore. 

The size of this

family, however,

may mean that

the predators

have been reduced

or decimated.

Langur monkeys

are clowns to

watch, but they

serve an important ecological function.  Especially when in tree, they often see predators first.

They have

a great

attitude.

Around

every langur

 is a silver lining.

Kanha.

Beginning with the national

bird the peacock, India's

bird life is phenomenal.  The Indian Roller is beautiful, though not spectacular- until it flies. 

Its under-wing is a brilliant fluorescent blue, whose

flashes in flight my camera

still has to capture.  Kanha.

 Horned owl,

Kanha.

Painted stork, Ranthambhore.

Serpent

Eagle,

Kanha.

Golden

Back

Spider

Bandhavgarh.

The very

rare Indian Wild Dog. 

A pack

hunter.

The

Indian

Jackal. 

A solitary hunter.

Gaur - the largest bovine species in the world.  Bigger than the American bison and the African Cape buffalo.  This one is in rut and looking for a fight.

A small

female gaur discussing

right of way with an

Indian-made Gypsy -

4WD,

800cc.

Samba or swamp

deer at Kanha. 

Bigger than the chital, but fewer. Very much

tiger's favourite prey.

In spite of their

fewer numbers, the author has seen more tigers stalking

sambar than chital

Sambar, sambar, shining

bright in the swamps of  Kanha.

Each termite mound is

a single organism,  composed of a million

lower  organisms.

Fruit bats with two

foot wing spans and

faces like foxes.  The

town Baihar near Kanha calls itself the fruit bat capital of the world.

Tiger

pug marks

in Kanha. 

Note

super-imposing

over

tire tracks.

Can you

find

the tiger

in this

picture?

Tiger

camouflage

at its most confusing.