Around the hallowed white stoned river banks of Dikhala in the Corbett Tiger reserve a bold tigress named Junior Paarwali had been trying to hunt for herself and her four cubs. Named after her famed mother Paarwali she would walk these paths and recall the lessons her mother had taught her on countless Nights and days. Gifted with some keen hunting skills she had been unable to hunt for the past few days and had made many unsuccessful attempts at making a kill. As the searing hot sun started making its way towards the horizon she stalked a lone Sāmbhar deer blissfully grazing near a green patch adjacent to the waters of the Mighty Rāmgangā River.
She moved gracefully and with utmost stealth, eyes locked on
her prey she almost hugged the earth as she inched through the tall grass. She knew
that even the slightest rustle of the surrounding grass would be enough to
alert her target and send it scrambling out of her reach. As she readied
herself with tense anticipation and flexed her powerful leg muscles, a pair of deer’s
casually grazing nearby picked up her scent and immediately raised the alarm
call. The lone Sāmbhar deer was off on its feet in an instant and disappeared
into the Forrest to live another day. Our tigress stopped dead in her tracks and
watched as her meal fled. Another failed attempt. Another day to fight. Another
prey to search and kill.
Junior Paarwali seemed untouched by this failed kill attempt,
almost philosophical in her reaction, I watched mesmerized as she simply raised
her head and started walking gracefully towards the waters of the Rāmgangā. She
drank deep and hard from the cold flowing river and strutted back like a proud
warrior into the cool environs of the dense Jamun forests. She would have to
make a kill soon not only for herself but for her four hungry cubs eagerly waiting
for their mother to return. Every hunt reminded her of the lessons learned during
hunting with her mother – Paarwali. In the next hunt she will have to adapt and
ingrain all of them while at the same time relying heavily on her instincts.
Learning and adapting is how you survive in nature. The circle of life goes on,
you take and learn from it or perish.
Vlog Link : LeonardoDaFotoGravinci
Corbett : The Magical Land
