On a cold November '23 morning we headed out towards the Tadoba Lake deep in the core and came across the pug marks of a tigress headed towards the Jamunbodi Waterhole. We quickly made our way to the waterhole and spotted a pack of dhole resting. Neelkanth Maghre, our tracker and guide, said there might possibly be a kill. To our right were some Sambhar who were clearly agitated and constantly gave their distinctive alarm calls. We waited with bated breath as the sambhar took off running from the right to the left. And following closely on their heels was Bijli, running full tilt, after them. This was taken as she sped across the meadow before disappearing behind the trees. The resting dhole pack also was hot on her heels and made for an amazing experience.

Bijli is the daughter of Choti Tara & Rudra - one of two brothers sired by the Kakarghat Male (T36), the other being Tala, tracing their lineage to the Shivanjari (T6) family from the Kolsa Range to the south. Bijli is one of two female cubs of Choti Tara, the other being Roma, sired by Rudra. I am told that Bijli has mated with Yuvraj, the son of Kuhani (who is of unknown origin) & Shiva (son of Wagdoh and the Kori female), and now has two cubs. Choti Tara, now almost 14 years old, has split her erstwhile territory around the Jamni lake between Bijli and Roma and can sometimes be seen in Maya’s territory.

This is the cycle of nature. First there was Choti Tara, now there is Bijli and in the future these meadows and lakes will be dominated by the cubs of Bijli and Roma. Over the years as we witness this cycle unfold and document almost every moment we know the names and the histories of these magnificent creatures. But these jungles are much, much older and have been privy to god knows how many such kings and queens who have left their mark on these lands. 

The sequence of the tigress running past and the dhole chasing after her is featured in the slideshow below.