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The Independent
11 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Indian tigress dies after long battle with bone cancer
One of India 's most iconic wild tigers, Arrowhead of Ranthambore, has died after a long battle with illness, shortly after her daughter was relocated following fatal attacks. Arrowhead, also called Lady of the Lake for her crocodile hunting skills, was found dead near Jogi Mahal in the Ranthambore reserve in western India on Thursday. She was around 14 years old. The tigress, officially designated T-84, had reportedly suffered from a bone tumour. She had stopped eating on Monday and appeared extremely thin and weak in her final video. An autopsy confirmed multiple organ failure. Forest officials cremated her body following National Tiger Conservation Authority protocols, with a gathering of wardens, wildlife photographers, and local conservationists present. The tigress, named for the distinct arrow-shaped mark on her cheek, was known for her fierce independence and unusual hunting skills, including eating crocodiles. Just days before her death, she was reportedly seen taking down a crocodile near Padam Talab, in a powerful echo of her grandmother, Machhli, Ranthambore's most famous big cat and original 'crocodile hunter.' Arrowhead's final moments were captured by Sachin Rai, a wildlife photographer who had tracked her since she was a cub. 'It was heartbreaking to see her struggle, attempting to rise and take a few feeble steps before collapsing again,' he wrote in a post accompanying video footage. 'Eventually, she reached a tree and lay beneath it. In that quiet moment, I knew in my heart that the end was near.' Arrowhead was the daughter of tigress Krishna and had inherited a prime territory in the reserve around Padam Talab. She raised ten cubs from four litters, and six of them survive her. She had several confrontations with male tigers over the years and even her own daughter, Riddhi, who eventually displaced her. Arrowhead's death came just hours after another of her daughters, Kankati, was tranquilised and relocated to the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve. Kankati had recently been involved in fatal attacks on a forest ranger and a 7-year-old child. 'It is a disheartening coincidence that she passed away on the same day when her daughter was being shifted,' field director Anoop K R said, according to the Hindustan Times. Arrowhead's death sparked an outpouring of tributes. Ranthambore's Instagram account posted: 'She was a symbol of grace, strength and motherly spirit.' Mr Rai echoed the sentiment, calling her 'a true tigress in every sense'. 'Arrowhead was a symbol of wild grace, of power tempered by patience, of survival against all odds,' he said. For many in India's wildlife conservation community, Arrowhead's death marks the end of an era – another link to Machhli lost. Her legacy, though, is being carried forward by the next generation of big cats.
Time of India
20 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Farewell to ‘Lady of the Lake': Arrowhead, Ranthambore's fearless crocodile-hunting tigress, dies after battling tumour hours after her cubs were relocated
JAIPUR: Tigress T-84, fondly known in Ranthambore and beyond as 'Arrowhead' and who rose to fame as the fearless crocodile hunter and the 'Lady of the Lake', breathed her last near Jogi Mahal in Ranthambore on Thursday. The 11-year-old tigress, who carried forward the legacy of her iconic grandmother 'Machhali', was battling a bone tumour for several months. A senior forest official said, "The body of 'Arrowhead' was cremated at Rajbagh in the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve. Many people, including wildlife photographers who have for long documented her journey, nature guides, and other well-wishers, gathered to pay their final respects. The cremation was carried out in accordance with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) protocol dated March 18, 2013." Arrowhead, born to T-19 'Krishna' (descendant of legendary tigress Machhali) and male T-28 'Star', was first sighted in March 2014. She was named 'Arrowhead' due to the distinctive arrow-shaped marking on her left cheek. Alongside her siblings, 'Lightning' and 'Pacman', she grew up in the core wilderness of Ranthambore. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cuối cùng, chơi miễn phí game chiến thuật hay nhất 2025! Sea of Conquest Phát ngay Undo Over the years, 'Arrowhead' emerged as the undisputed queen of zones 2, 3, 4, and 5, frequently sighted around Rajbagh Lake and Nal Ghati territories once dominated by her mother, 'Krishna'. Her commanding presence and unmatched hunting prowess earned her nationwide recognition among wildlife enthusiasts. She was particularly famed for her rare ability to kill crocodiles — an extraordinary feat that drew admiration and awe. Environmentalist and tiger tracker Abhishek Chaudhary, said, 'Just three days before her death, she killed another crocodile. Throughout her life, she killed several of them.' 'She was an exceptionally audacious tigress who reigned over Ranthambhore's core territory for years. In the world of tigers, it is the female who chooses the dominant male. At one point, four males competed for her within her domain, but she aligned herself with T-86, supporting him in asserting dominance and driving out the others,' Chaudhary added. A nature guide said the tigress lost her mate, T-86, and later suffered a serious hip injury. Still, she continued to raise multiple cubs. Some of them, including 'Riddhi' and 'Siddhi', went on to become stars in their own right. A cancerous tumour on her hind leg eventually blunted her hunting prowess, which led forest officials to offer live bait to her and her three cubs. The cubs, now sub-adults, drew national attention after attacking and killing three people in May. Deemed a threat to human safety, they were relocated to Kota, Bundi, and Dholpur. 'Just hours after the last cub — 'Kankati' — was shifted, 'Arrowhead' passed away quietly—almost as if she was waiting to ensure her cubs were safely moved,' said Dalip Sharma, a wildlife enthusiast.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves project to be launched soon in 17 states to reduce conflict with big cat
CHANDIGARH: In order to reduce human-tiger conflict in the areas outside tiger reserves, the Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves (TOTR) project will be launched soon by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, covering 80 forest divisions in 17 states across the country. Around 30 per cent of the country's estimated 3,682 tigers are freely moving outside notified reserves. A copy of the final draft of the project, which has been prepared by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), is with The New Indian Express. It states that the need for this project was felt due to dispersal of tigers from source to sink areas in lieu of doubling of tigers and movement of co-predators towards the periphery, fragmentation of habitat and destruction of corridors. This has led to an increase in the incidents of interface between humans and tigers and other co-predators in the recent past, causing various conflict issues including human deaths, injuries and livestock depredation. To address the issue in a holistic manner, the project will focus on the areas outside tiger reserves. As per the draft proposal the area to be covered under TOTR is a total of 80 forest divisions in 17 states across the country -- Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh -- which have been reported to have tiger utilizing landscapes outside tiger reserves. "Further, out of 58 tiger reserves in 18 tiger range states, 38 tiger reserves have moderate to high density of tigers wherein dispersal of tiger outside tiger reserves is obvious. Based on the data collected from the states regarding human-tiger conflict situations in the last three years, there are around 80 divisions across the country with areas adjoining moderate to high density tiger reserves. On a pilot basis, the project proposal will focus on these areas wherein human-tiger and co-predators conflict is reported," it states.
United News of India
4 days ago
- United News of India
India lost 91 tigers under six months: NTCA
New Delhi, June 16 (UNI) In the past five-and-a-half months, India has lost 91 royal tigers—an alarming figure - due to poaching, territorial disputes, human-wildlife conflicts, train mishaps and natural causes, according to data from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). On an average, this equates to nearly 17 tiger deaths every month. If this trend persists, the total number of tiger fatalities this year could surpass last year's figure of 126. In the five-year period from 2019 to 2023, a total of 628 striped predators have died across India. The data from the NTCA, which oversee Project Tiger in India, shows 96 deaths in 2019, 106 in 2020, 127 in 2021, 121 in 2022, and 178 in 2023. This widespread loss in the first five months till to date is uneven across states, with more than half ie 49 mortalities occurring in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra where train accidents and infectious disease too have been found to be the cause of the deaths. Maharashtra alone reported the deaths of 26 tigers, followed closely by Madhya Pradesh with 24. Other affected states include Kerala (nine), Assam (eight), Uttarakhand (seven), Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh (four each), and Telangana (one). The data also reveals that 42 tigers were found dead inside their habitat only which can be due to natural causes or territorial fights. At the same time, 35 were reported to have perished outside these protected areas, with officials attributing the deaths to man-animal conflicts and electrocution among others. A significant portion of these fatalities includes 14 cubs, 26 females, and 20 males. However, data available from the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), an NGO engaged in the sector are more alarming. It indicates that tiger deaths have surged in 2025, with 120 reported fatalities so far—96 due to natural or human-induced causes and 24 linked to poaching and wildlife trafficking. As per the NTCA data, over the last 12 years, 1,386 tigers have been lost across India, with nearly 50% of these deaths occurring within designated tiger reserves. Conservationists say that despite rapidly growing urbanisation and human populations, around three-quarters of the world's tigers now live in India. YV Jhala, a conservationist at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in his recent study published in Science journal, said that 'from 2010 to 2022, tigers in India more than doubled from an estimated 1,706 to nearly 3,700'. However, the study also warns that there is no need to be complacent. 'While India's tiger recovery is an extraordinary achievement, challenges remain. Large tracts of potential tiger habitat — spanning 157,000 sq km — are still devoid of tigers due to socio-political instability and habitat degradation,' it said. The study has recommended expanding protected areas and habitat corridors, strengthening anti-poaching measures, promoting sustainable livelihoods for communities living near tiger habitats, enhancing human-wildlife conflict mitigation strategies, including early warning systems and rapid response teams. UNI AJ RN
Time of India
5 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Tigress spotted with cub in Mukundra,rekindle revival hopes for the reserve
Jaipur: The Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) received a conservation boost on Sunday after camera traps recorded its only tigress, MT-6, with a cub, marking the first such sighting in the reserve's history. Tigress T-2301, renamed MT-6, was translocated to MHTR on Aug 9, 2023, to be paired with male tiger MT-5 (T-110 from Ranthambore), who arrived earlier on Nov 3, 2022. Forest officials and wildlife experts believe that there could be more cubs though they are yet to be captured on camera. Hailing the development as a landmark moment, Lok Sabha Speaker and Kota-Bundi MP Om Birla said, "We have consistently made efforts to revive Mukundra. This sighting marks a crucial step forward in strengthening tiger conservation in the region." Environmental activist Devrath Singh Hada echoed the optimism but expressed concern over bureaucratic delays in relocating tigers. "Though approval has been granted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to relocate two additional big cats, the process has stalled. This sighting clearly reaffirms that MHTR, with its natural corridor adjoining the Chambal, is a biologically rich and suitable habitat for tigers and warrants greater administrative focus. " Once hailed as India's third major tiger reintroduction project, MHTR was expected to ease the pressure on the overcrowded Ranthambore Tiger Reserve. However, it suffered repeated setbacks due to flawed execution and political interference. Initially, NTCA approved the Seljar range for releasing big cats owing to it being a superior habitat and prey base. However, under pressure from the then Vasundhara Raje-led govt, the plan was altered, and the tigers were shifted to the Darrah range. "The decision proved disastrous. Between 2018 and 2020, five tigers, including three cubs, died, and one male tiger, MT-1, vanished without a trace," a source said. The lone surviving tigress in Darrah, MT-4, was confined to a 24-hectare enclosure, rendering her incapable of breeding. In 2022, acknowledging past failures, the forest department reverted to the original plan and shifted her back to the Seljar range. But tragedy struck again when, on May 5, 2023, MT-4 died during treatment in Seljar, carrying three fully formed cubs in her womb.
