A website that has different tales of tigers

A website based on the tigers of Bandhavgarh National Park in Umaria district not only identifies the big cats belonging to a particular zone by their pet names, but also traces their family tree.

www.landofthewild.com, created by Sachin Rai, a wildlife photographer, traces the family tree of tigers, describes their traits and has stories associated with them.

"Wildlife photography is a passion for me," Rai told PTI, when asked about the website and his hobby.

"I used to visit Bandhavgarh at least three times a year and spend a fortnight each in the park to capture images and gather information about the tigers," he said.

The tigers in the family tree are identified with their names like B2, Bokha, Bamera Male, Kallu, Chakradhara, Jhujhura, Chorbehra, Mahaman, Banbehi and Mirchaini.

"Best part of the website is that the moment you click on B2, Mahaman or any other tiger, you get to see the actual big cat in the wild," the awarding-winning lensman said.

Referring to B2, the website says, "a legend on his own, this tiger is probably the most photographed wild tiger in the world. Ruling more than half the tourism area for almost eight years now, he has fathered lots of cubs who have been instrumental in shaping the future of Bandhavgarh."

"B2 has fathered Jhujura, one of the most bold and successful mothers. She had raised two healthy litters and was taking care of her third one which consisted of three cubs (six-month-old). She was run over by a Forest Department vehicle on May 19, 2010," it claimed.

The State CID is probing the incident.

Bokha has been described as an old competitor of B2 in the website..."this shy male has been ruling areas such as Sukhipathia, Rajbehra and Sehra. His constant conflict with B2 has resulted in numerous territorial fights. As a result he losses some and gains some space each time this event occurs."

Referring to Bamera Male, it said, "also known as the New Tala (range) Male, he is truly a royal tiger. Bamera Male is bold, huge and handsome. He is one of the most promising male tigers in Bandhavgarh," which is famous for its thick tiger density.

Chorbehra has been described as a beautiful tigress, which is also known as Sidbaba. She has been struggling with an injured hind limb since almost two-and-a-half years and some forest guides therefore refer to her as "langdi".

The website is full of such details about a number of other big cats and wild creatures wandering in the sprawling forest, Rai said.

Corbett Foundation's Senior Programme Officer (Wilderness), Siddharth Edake, who is based in Bandhavgarh, said local guides and forest officials identify tigers with their names and narrate stories about them.