Dispatches

Conservation

The tiger in its habitat

A.J.T. JOHNSINGH
In the Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Photo: S.S. Sen
Taking a stroll in the Jim Corbett landscape, Uttarakhand. Photo: Bivash Pandav/Wildlife Institute of India
A roaming foursome, an uncommon sight, at the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan. Photo: Aditya Singh/Ranthambore Bagh
Descending a slope. One tiger needs 50 chital-sized deer in a year to sustain itself. A hungry large male can eat 15-20 kg of meat at one go, but it can also go without food with no apparent ill-effects for up to 10 days. Photo: Aditya Singh/Ranthambore Bagh
In the Sundarbans, West Bengal. The small size of the Sundarbans tiger is an adaptation for living in the marshy mangrove habitat. Photo: Rishikumar Sharma/WWF-India
Cooling themselves in a pool in the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. Photo: Aditya Singh/Ranthambore Bagh
A tigress marking a tree. The spray is clearly visible. Photo: Gobind Sagar Bhardwaj/Rajasthan Forest Department
Smelling a tree which possibly has already been sprayed. Photo: K.V. Uthaman/Kerala Forest Department
A rare portrait of a mother with three cubs in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve. Photo: Aditya Singh/Ranthambore Bagh
Tigers in reserves such as Ranthambore are habituated to tourists in vehicles. Photo: Aditya Singh/Ranthambore Bagh