Latest news with #Ranthambore
The Independent
10 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.
Hindustan Times
14 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Amusement park horror: Octopus ride seat snaps mid-spin in Maharashtra; one killed
A day of leisure at an amusement park turned tragic on Wednesday after a ride malfunctioned at Sayajiraje Park in Maharashtra's Solapur district, claiming the life of a 35-year-old man and leaving another seriously injured. According to a report by Times of India, Tushar Dhumal, a resident of Bhigwan in Pune district, died after one of the arms of the octopus-themed ride suddenly detached while operating at high speed. His friend, Vaibhav Rupnavar (30), suffered a serious head injury and underwent surgery at a private hospital in Akluj on Thursday morning. According to police, the octopus ride, designed with multiple rotating arms, each fitted with four seats, was operating at full velocity when one of the arms broke away, the report added. A tourist captured the aftermath on video, showing bystanders and what appeared to be family members rushing to the scene to help. (Also Read: Photographer captures final walk of Ranthambore tigress Arrowhead. Watch video) Dhumal, who worked as an insurance agent, had visited the park with three friends. The group was occupying all four seats on one of the ride's arms at the time of the incident. Both victims were taken to a nearby private hospital, where Dhumal was declared dead due to severe head trauma. Rupnavar remains under medical care for a critical head injury. Following the incident, Tushar Dhumal's brother, Abhijeet Dhumal, lodged a complaint with Akluj police, alleging negligence and poor maintenance by the park's management. He also stated that the ride operator had increased the speed beyond safe limits, contributing to the failure, the report further added. Based on the complaint, police registered an FIR against the park's manager, ride operator, and staff under sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence), 125(A) (acts endangering life or personal safety of others), 125(B) (rash or negligent act causing grievous hurt), and 3(5) (act causing wrongful loss to others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. (Also Read: 'Second-hand embarrassment': Indian tourists criticised for public dance in Bangkok)
News18
01-06-2025
- Automotive
- News18
Range Rover SV Masara Edition Arrived In India, Here's What Makes It Worth Rs 4.99 Cr
Last Updated: The name has been derived from the Sanskrit word that means Sapphire. This is the second India-specific special edition in the after Ranthambore edition. The luxury car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has added another limited edition to its fleet called the Masara under the Range Rover lineup. The name has been derived from the Sanskrit word that means Sapphire. This is the second India-specific special edition in the after Ranthambore edition. The model has been released in India at the starting price of Rs 4.99 crore (ex-showroom). The company said that only 12 examples will be made, which will make it more exclusive in the segment. Insipration From Where? Inspired by the deep blue sapphire found in the Himalayan region, the SUV flaunts a unique and bold style statement. It gets a deep satin blue matte shade from the outside, featuring silver chrome and Corinthian Bronze trim. What's So Special? It gets a gold finish signature grill at the front, and has been treated with massive 23-inch Oblivion 1077 diamond-turned alloy wheels, complemented by glossy black callipers with dark grey contrast. The target audience will get the Masara Edition in dual-tone interior, flaunting and impressive yet ultra luxury Liberty Blue and Perino leather upholstery with bright noble jewellery accents and Burr Veneer all around. The company has included the seats with embroidered elements with personalised scatter cushions to make it more special. It also gets SV Bespoke branded tread plates that show the Masara Edition. Inside the cabin, it continues to get the advanced features such as fully electric adjustable reclinable seats, deployable cupholders, a massive panoramic sunroof, a powered club table, and a refrigerator with SV etched glassware. Under the hood, it uses a robust 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine that generates a maximum power of 606 BHP and 750 Nm.
The Independent
31-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Valmik Thapar: Legendary conservationist dubbed India's ‘Tiger Man' dies aged 73
One of India 's best-known wildlife conservationists, Valmik Thapar, has died at his home in Delhi at the age of 73. Dubbed India's ' Tiger Man', Thapar dedicated five decades of his life to reviving the big cat's dwindling population, writing nearly 50 books on the subject and appearing in a host of nature documentaries including for the BBC. Thapar co-founded the Ranthambore Foundation in 1988, an important non profit focused on community-based conservation efforts. The charity reportedly worked across almost 100 villages around the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, one of the biggest success stories in the country in terms of its flourishing tiger population, in the western state of Rajasthan. Never afraid to speak out over the shortcomings of government bureaucracy, he served as an expert on scores of public committees and was also part of the National Board for Wildlife, a Supreme Court-empowered committee which is led by the country's prime minister. In 2005 Thapar was appointed a member of the Tiger Task Force, set up by the government to review the management of tiger reserves following the infamous disappearance of the big cats from Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan. He disagreed with the findings of the task force, arguing that the report was overly optimistic about the coexistence of tigers and humans. Thapar said that for tigers to survive, certain forest areas needed to be completely free from human interference – a claim that put him in odds with activists advocating for the rights of forest-dwelling communities and tribes. Among the books on tigers written by Thapar are the popular Tiger: A Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent (1997), and Tiger Fire: 500 Years of the Tiger in India. He has presented and co-produced landmark wildlife documentaries, including the BBC series Land of the Tiger in 1997, which explored the wildlife of the Indian subcontinent. In recent years, he had been critical of the government's Project Cheetah, which reintroduced African cheetahs into India. "Thapar was no arm-chair conservationist, he spent as much time as possible in the field. Be it in the searing heat or an icy cold winter morning, rain or shine, he would be ideating with community elders and officers managing India's Tiger Reserves and National Parks to find solutions to complex, sensitive issues," his family said in a statement, according to The Hindu. "Of course, he enjoyed his time in the jungle with his camera and binoculars, not just in the Indian wilderness but also in Africa. But what gave him the most pleasure was spending time with tigers in Ranthambore." Last year, he appeared in the BBC's My Tiger Family – a 50-year story of an Indian tiger clan in Ranthambore. Thapar is survived by his wife Sanjana Kapoor and their son Hamir Thapar. Jairam Ramesh, a senior figure in the opposition Congress party and former environment minister, said Thapar "was uncommonly knowledgeable on a variety of issues relating to biodiversity and not a day passed during my ministerial tenure without our talking to each other -- with me almost always at the receiving end'. "We had arguments but it was always an education to listen to him, full of passion and concern. He was truly an unforgettable one of a kind," he added.
The Independent
13-05-2025
- The Independent
Indian reserve tigress kills forest ranger in second attack on humans in as many months
A tigress killed a forest ranger inside a national reserve in the Indian state of Rajasthan on Sunday, authorities confirmed. He was the second human victim of the tigress named Kankati. A seven-year-old child was killed by the same predator in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Sawai Madhopur last month. The ranger, Devendra Chaudhary, 40, was killed Sunday afternoon after the animal grabbed him by the neck and dragged him into the forest, according to eyewitnesses. Chaudhary was taken to a local hospital but declared dead on arrival, a forest official told The Times of India. Chaudhary is survived by his wife and one-and-a-half-year-old son. 'Tourism has been suspended in parts of the reserve where the tigress was last seen,' Ranthambhore's field director, KR Anoop, told The Independent. He said the state's forest department formed a committee on Tuesday to decide whether to relocate Kankati. They had also halted pilgrimage to the Trinetra Ganesh temple inside the reserve until further notice, he said. Forest officials said there had been increased sightings of tigers along the pilgrim route to the temple and at an old fort inside the reserve. Kankati fatally attacked a seven-year-old boy walking back from the temple with his grandmother on April 16. The tiger reportedly emerged from the forest and dragged the child away. Kankati is the daughter of an ageing tigress named Arrowhead. Kankati is a Hindi word that roughly translates to someone with a torn ear. Kankati is identifiable to rangers and safari guides by her torn ear. Mr Anoop told The Independent the forest department had resorted to using firecrackers to deter tigers from crowded areas inside the reserve for now. He said the department started 'bursting crackers to keep tigers away after the last incident of last month' in which the seven-year-old was killed. Reserve workers started feeding Kankati's mother in 2023 after a hip injury left her unable to hunt, The Indian Express reported. Her cubs – Kankati and two other tigresses – too started feeding on the bait and came to roam crowded areas near Jogi Mahal, an iconic hunting lodge used by erstwhile rulers of the region. There are 13-14 tigers currently active in the vicinity of the temple, the fort and Jogi Mahal. The newspaper reported that officials dismissed calls to shift Kankati after last month's fatality and instead opted to use firecrackers to deter tigers. Like the Trinetra Ganesh temple in Ranthambore, there are religious sites inside several other tiger reserves in India where pilgrims routinely make offerings. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has mandated that every reserve develop plans to manage religious tourism, but a 2019 study found that efforts to implement conservation measures had been hampered by the challenge of balancing ecological protection with community visitation rights. One example is Kerala's Periyar Tiger Reserve, where the Sabarimala temple, a renowned Hindu shrine, draws five to six million pilgrims each year. Activists say it causes disturbance to the wildlife and significant environmental damage to the reserve's fragile forest ecosystem. Kankati is not the first maneater in Ranthambore. A tiger named Ustad was linked to the deaths of four people in the reserve between 2010 and 2015. The animal killed a local villager in July 2010 and another in March 2012. In October 2012, it reportedly killed a forest guard and in May 2015 fatally mauled Rampal Saini, a veteran forest ranger, near the Trinetra Ganesh temple. The May 2015 attack sparked outrage among local villagers who demanded that Ustad be relocated. The maneater was removed to the Sajjangarh Biological Park in Udaipur in 2016.
