No private moments!

[Ajit Huilgol]

Yes, there are no private moments in your life, if you are a tiger! Just like with human celebrities, they are followed by paparazzi everywhere, and anything they do makes it 'photo-newsworthy'!
Location: Ranthambhore, Rajasthan, India
Date: April 2008
Equip: Canon 1D Mlll, Canon 100-400 at 115
Specs: ISO 400, f 8, 1/200s, beanbag on vehicle

Thank you for taking the time out to look, and for your comments/critiques

[Ken Watkins]

This brings back "fond" memories!
Have you seen the highly commended in the BBC WPTY Andy Rouse has a wonderful picture of a typical Tiger Safari scene.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

The spray looks nice.

This unfortunate scene is replayed in most of our popular tiger reserves. Earlier, I used to leave the a crowded place and move on in search of a tiger elsewhere. However, these days there is no respite from tourists. The pressure due to tourism is also taking a toll on our forests.

Its ironic that Andy Rouse's image portraying this madness has won a BBC award. That would make a few photographers sit up and try that. In the past, BBC had awarded similar shots. I guess the name of the category at that time was different. I think it was The World in our hands, or something like that.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Ajit Huilgol]

Ken, in fact, Andy had two images from Ranthambhore in this year's BBC WPOTY awards. One of these featured a gaggle (is that right?) of tourists following a tigress!

[Ken Watkins]

Ajit,
A gaggle is a good word although I use scrum sometimes.
Yes Andy's other picture was a rare (at least to me) image of two Tigers fighting.

[Russell Johnson]

Great documentary shot of pressures from tourism.

[Sid Garige]

Ah a perfect story teller. Amazing job with keeping the spray intact.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

What happens if one of these tigers gets hungry? Have they ever attacked people who got so close?

[DanWalters]

Really tells a story on how crowded some of these wildlife preserves can get.

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Perfect timing on this one and yup no privacy in the wild. Well done !

[Harshad Barve]

tigers paying the price of being celebrity


What happens if one of these tigers gets hungry? Have they ever attacked people who got so close?

They dont count humans as their meals;) , so not to worry much but better to keep safe distance:) , Never heard any attacks on Tourist in recent past except one case in Bandhabvgarh

[Ajit K Huilgol]

Thank you for your kind comments. And, Axel, tigers often come closer than this and you are safe as long as you stay inside the jeep. Accidents have been recorded though of tigers jumping into a vehicle or even onto an elephant, but, hey, that's the risk you take when you enter a wild animal's domain! I have been at the receiving end of an elephant's charge on several occasions, but till now, they have been mock charges!

[Kiran Khanzode]

Nice timing, Ajit ! I have to admit, I have taken similar pics on my recent trip showing humans,jeeps and tigers in the same frame.

I was recently within 6 feet (at eye level) of a so-called 'notorious' tigress (who has killed at least 1 man in the past 2 years -the man's fault), nothing was preventing her from jumping into my jeep (engine was not running). I stopped taking pics as she was within MFD and just stared her back (thinking of my options: hide under the seat, for eg).
However, she just grunted once at me as if to give me/driver a hint "Move aside, I need to walk my territory". But we couldn't move since our vehicle was boxed in, she just stood there for 10 seconds and once our jeep began moving, she did too. That's how polite and well behaved Tigers are. Most are shy and avoid human contact. I've personally met people riding bicycles in the same forests that we roam and heard from them that a Tiger ran away(quickly disappeared) after seeing him (a 100 lb man on a bicycle).

Private sightings are still possible in the heavily visited national parks of India, but hey, you really have to get lucky. I don't have any preferences, after all, India is the only country where one has a realistic chance of sighting a wild tiger today. I usually deal with the tourists with my camera and include or eliminate them from my frames as/when required.

[Morkel Erasmus]

it goes like this in many South African reserves too, Ajit - especially where many lodges have traversing rights on the same land. sometimes we visit a private estate in the Sabi Sands and often come to a sighting with a lot of tourists on grand safari vehicles, while we have an old pickup with a plank on the back and everyone's got a thirst-quencher in the hand - you should see the stares WE get :)

[Kartikeya Puri]

Nice job with the spray Ajit. :)

Axel,

Corbett called a wild tiger as a large-hearted-gentleman with boundless courage. To see if it is true, one has to be within touching distance of a tiger :). Tigers would generally avoid humans as much as possible and do not consider them to be food. However, if you chance upon a tiger in Sundarbans, you might want to keep your distance. :p

Jokes aside, in most national parks you have no real danger from Tigers unless you harass, corner or approach one on foot. Even then they will avoid any confrontation. The rules are same as watching lions up close and personal in SA, you stay in the vehicle to stay safe.

Cheers,
Kartik