Gladiators of Gondwana - 2

Panthera tigris tigris

ENDANGERED

Adegaon-Dewada, Tadoba Andhari National Park

Continuing our time in the enchanted jungles of Gondwana we meet the second gladiator of the Adegaon - Dewada range, the powerful Shambhu. Scion of mighty Wagdoh (T-38) with, I think, the Kori (T-09) female. 

The Gondi’s believe that the tiger should be the king of the jungle as it is the symbol of power, strength and bravery. They believe this because the god “Taru” was killed when he had an encounter with a tiger. Their belief in this is so strong that they worship the tiger and treat it akin to a god and as a protector of the land. Even their art, brought into the public eye, by the famous Gond painter, the late Jangarh Singh Shyam, consistently depicted trees, animals, birds, Gods, village life, and a connect with nature seemingly unbroken and intrinsic. 

The Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is where Gond culture and heritage meet some of the most iconic wildlife of Central India, making it a jewel of the heartland. The richness of Madia Gond heritage reflects in the unique stone pillars once used for relaying announcements during royal processions, still preserved within the tiger reserve. Nowhere else has the intertwining of nature and humankind been iconified as distinctively as in Tadoba. While Tadoba's teak, ain and baheda forests offer refuge to tigers, leopards, sloth bears, dholes, honey badgers, small cats and a variety of herbivores like the Gaur, Chital & Sambhar, its lakes are home to mugger crocodiles and a healthy population of the near-threatened Grey-headed Fish Eagle, making the reserve an eco-tourism hotspot. 

But behind this charm lies an unsettling chaos – an element that elevates Tadoba from all other tiger reserves – an unusually high density of Herculean, aggressive & ambitious male tigers battling for supremacy. This tropical & subtropical dry-broadleaf and dry-deciduous forest of Tadoba is a realm of savage and legendary tigers and more often than any other tiger reserve across India, there is an unusual influx of dominant tigers, year after year, each proclaiming their prowess akin to gladiators in the arena. As the villages within the forest were relocated and human activity reduced inside the core or critical habitat the tigers prospered. So much so that the average size of a tigers territory halved and in some cases even quartered, with each tiger overlapping the prey-rich hotspots. Confrontations were few mostly because of individual traits but could not be infinitely avoided and were an eventuality waiting to happen. 

The Adegaon - Dewada range is one such area and once again as we entered we encountered Taru. After watching Taru and following him around for a bit he disappeared abruptly in the foliage. We waited and a short while later were rewarded as Shambu stepped out onto the track. He was close and I was able to use the fantastic EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens for some lovely head on approach photographs. 

To know the story of Shambhu we need to know some of the legends of Tadoba and how they came to be. These are tigers forged in the kiln of ambition, power & greed and it is they who have put Tadoba on the tiger map. These tigers have gone on to become emperors in the truest sense, dominating huge expanses of the jungle, reigning over regnant queens and siring equally indomitable progeny.

The legend of Yeda Anna & Wagdoh

One of the many confrontations, years in the making, was that of Yeda Anna (T-39) & Wagdoh (T-38) for which we need to travel back in time to circa 2005/06. Yeda Anna, also known as Crooked Tail (his tail broke during a territorial fight), rose to power in 2005-06 well before Tadoba appeared on the tiger map. The name “Yeda Anna”, homage to a Bollywood movie character, highlighted his short & explosive temper. He was said to be the son of the legendary Sultan of the Moharli range. Sultan was the nucleus for most of the tigers of this range; possibly also the father of Wagdoh/ Scarface. Yeda Anna ruled over the southern part of the park from Khatoda & Cheechghat to a sizeable portion of Moharli and reigned over atleast 4 tigresses and is considered the nucleus for the circuit line and devdoh line of tigers.

Wagdoh or Scarface, on the other hand, was another dominant male starting to make his presence felt in the area. The epitaph “Scarface“ he earned after a near fatal fight with a gaur near Vasant Bhandara which cost him his right eye. The name “Wagdoh” he was given by tourists for the waterhole in the core area of Moharli where he was first sighted in 2009 at about 4 years old. Weighing more than 300 kilograms Wagdoh was HUGE! He was considered to be the largest tiger in the country and at times even the largest tiger in South Asia. He was also called the Big Daddy of Tadoba because in his life of 18 years he sired atleast 40 cubs and as of date most of the flourishing tiger population with popular tigresses like Choti Madhu, Sharmili, Aishwarya, W-mark Female, Collarwali and their cubs all carry his bloodline.

By the end of 2010, the dominance of Yeda Anna at the Moharli range had faded and he was well and truly routed by Wagdoh in their fight at the Kosba Line. Wagdoh went on to be the sovereign ruler killing Madhuri’s (T-10) 3 cubs from Yeda Anna (her first litter in 2010). Yeda Anna, after his rout, was spotted near the Khatoda region from time to time. He was regularly challenged by other young males for territorial dominance but, given his age, he couldn’t withstand the strength of these younger males  leading to a progressive shrinkage in his territory. He eventually succumbed to infighting in 2018 near the Khadsangi Range.

Wagdoh ruled over the territory beyond the Kosba Line - the southernmost tip of the core area - now known as Wagdoh area in his honour. His love story with Madhuri is immortal and they went on to become one of the most successful tiger pairs in history. Madhuri’s second litter of four cubs in 2011 - Sonam (T-30), Lara (T-19), Geeta & Mona - sired by Wagdoh were made famous by a documentary on their growing up aired by the Discovery Channel on 20 September, 2014 as “Tigress Blood” (Trailer) and also telecast on Indian television in early 2015 as “Tiger Sisters of Telia“ (Trailer) capturing the extraordinary behaviour of these four tiger sisters entrenched around the Telia Lake and their unique adaptation to survive. This was a coming-of-age story, filmed over two years, of sisters who battled each other for dominance over their homeland. Once the girls grew older and stronger, instinct kicked in and they separated and competed to take their mother’s place for control of the Telia Lake. Their bond was broken and the family torn apart. To survive independently, each sister had to make one large kill every week – and alone, they each struggled. Desperate and starved, the four siblings made a startling choice — to form an alliance. They joined forces to hunt as a pack, fearless and unstoppable, and take on dangerous prey, culminating in a never-before-filmed hunt of a tiger family taking down a sloth bear and forever changing the rules of tiger behaviour.

By the end of 2013, Madhuri, the then reigning queen was ousted along with the other Telia Sisters - Lara, Geeta & Mona - by her aggressive and ambitious daughter, the S-mark female/ Sonam as she is also fondly known. Madhuri had herself taken over this same territory from her mother Lakshmi aka Tara, in a similar fashion, a few years prior. Madhuri then moved further south, and her lovestruck mate Wagdoh followed suit, voluntarily abandoning the lush and prey-rich range of Moharli. After being pushed into the Buffer zone, Madhuri delivered her third litter of 4 cubs again sired by Wagdoh in 2014. Wagdoh was later sighted in the buffers of Junona, Mamla and even as far south as Lohara. In 2016 he settled in the Dewada Range but was once again driven out by a young Khali (T-50) born to the Broken Tail female in 2009-10. During his stint in the buffers Wagdoh also had a miraculous escape while crossing the Chandrapur - Gondia railway line. During what would become his last fortnight, Wagdoh was tracked near the Durgapur Open Cast Coal Mine, only a few kilometers from the city of Chandrapur. He seemed weak and dull and finally on Monday 23 May 2022, at 18 years, Wagdoh succumbed to his old age and died a natural death. His carcass was found in the Sinhala forest under the Chandrapur Range.

Another interesting fact that possibly very few people are aware of is that Wagdoh was very punctual. He would frequent a waterhole and almost arrive at the same time in the morning - between 7 and 7.20 am - and evening - in the summer between 5.30 and 5.45pm - and spend about 20-22 minutes at the waterhole. This habit of punctuality is also observed in Taru and Choti Madhu. Wagdoh was also a doting father, and spent considerable time with his cubs. He comprehensively disproved the conventional notion that male tigers do not care for or spend time with their offspring - it is normal for male tigers to be with the cubs, sometimes even taking care of them and/or providing food in the conspicuous absence of the mother – multiple instances from various reserves prove this point. Wagdoh was one of the first to be observed as a caring father and performing his duties irrespective of the presence of the mother.

This is the lineage Shambhu claims his descent from and, believe me, he bears a striking resemblance. He displays many traits of his illustrious father measuring almost 6 feet long, standing about 3.5-4 feet tall, tipping the scales between 220-250 kilograms and he is still growing. He has an unusual crown like marking on his forehead and also displays the diamond-stripe pattern on the sides of the belly area. This diamond pattern on the belly is a commonality observed in all Tadoba males with some notable exceptions in other legends like Matkasur. 

In the forests which encompass Moharli, Junona, Dewada, Adegaon, Agarzari ranges there are now four young tigers - Chota Dhadiyal , Paras, Taru & Shambhu. Chota Dhadiyal is the son of the tiger Dhadiyal (T-85) - named for the beard he sported - and Patlin Bai. Paras (T-143) is the son of Gangaram (unknown origin) and the Kuwani (T-14) female. Regarding Taru there is a fair amount of confusion but I think he is the son of the Shivanjari female (T-06) & the Kakarghat male (T-36) and finally Shambhu, the son of the mighty Wagdoh with, I think, the Kori (T-09) female. But there are some who say Shambhu is born to Bajrang and Aishwarya in 2017 - I have not been able to verify this. This is the stage set for many a battle, I am sure, as these gladiators are almost the same age and fast appearing maturity which is when they will seek to assert their dominance. On December 4th Shambhu and Taru had their first skirmish with Shambhu emerging the winner. Taru, some say, lived up to his former name of “Bhagoda“ and took to his heels quite easily but I think he is simply awaiting the opportune moment. 

Tigers engage their opponents through acts of deception. First, tigers mark territories through scent marking and second, when territories overlap, tigers claw the trunks of the trees, sometimes even climbing, to prove how menacingly tall they are, duping any adversary wishing to challenge. In addition to these visual messages, chemicals such as pheromones are also deposited on the bark. Thirdly, in case of an engagement, a tiger will try to intimidate the opponent by flexing the muscles of the neck and shoulder, snarling and growling, standing on its hind legs, and launching a volley of punches and swipes at its opponent. Most fights end at this point, but a few dominants take the warfare a little further. Life doesn’t matter to them as much as their thirst for power. The fight for supremacy puts the ultimate winner on the throne, deposing the loser. 

Tigers are not instinctive animals. They learn – hunting or fighting – from their mother, father and siblings. Despite their sheer size and weight, their reaction times are unbelievably fast and this eventually makes them better hunters and formidable opponents able to dodge swipes and strikes during any serious fight with other tigers.

For the most part, Chital and Sambhar are the preferred prey of any tiger. The chital tip the scales at 60-70 kgs while the sambhar at 300-400 kgs; therefore, a sambhar can serve up a few good meals and is usually preferred by tigers and especially more so by tigresses with cubs. But these deer prefer grasslands to dense forests because it allows them the room to outrun the marauding tiger or tigress. As an outcome of this, in the Kolsa range to the south-east of Tadoba both the males and the females have adapted to hunt the formidable Indian Gaur. A gaur could weigh up to 1500 kgs and can last, even for a family of five, many days. 

Our meeting with Shambhu was in the vicinity of the same kill where we had encountered Taru near the erstwhile village of Pardi Ambhora in the fast fading winter light as he kept to the edge of the Irai dam waters. The kill was apparently Choti Madhu’s (T-127) who wanted to bring her cubs to it. But, between making the kill and bringing her cubs to it, the kill was hijacked first by Taru and soon after by Shambhu. I think this was around the same time we had seen Choti Madhu swimming the Irai waters to her cubs. We had followed Taru as he gingerly made his approach but as soon as he scented Shambhu, I think, he abruptly changed directions and quickly made his way into deeper jungle on the opposite side avoiding what could have been an interesting conflict.

No wonder it is said that Tadoba is not a question of “if“ but more a “when“ one can see a tiger.

The story of the tigers of Tadoba isn’t just the story of a single tiger or the place where he was born or the kingdom he’s trying to establish. It is a story of free ranging tigers colonising this cradle of tiger civilisation, naturally engineering the forests and the climate subsequently and the efforts of stakeholders in assisting, preserving, and undoing the decades or centuries old damage done to the ecosystem by the earlier generations of humans. With many fertile rivers flowing across this landscape, this land of the Gonds is highly arable which in turn has led to an explosion in the the human population inhabiting these parts, effectively reducing the tiger-scapes to mere patches with almost no connectivity. The corridors that used to be vast swathes of inviolate spaces are now human dominant landscapes. 

The biggest challenge of tiger conservation is not the management of the protected area, but the provision of migration corridors to maintain genetic diversity and flow of surplus populations.

More than 70% of the world’s last of this species live in India in many of the 52 tiger reserves and a fewer of the 564 wildlife sanctuaries. While the tiger population is currently estimated at 3000, the forests of India can hold many more tigers. Because it is a charismatic and keystone species, and a part of the prestigious project tiger, tiger forests receive the utmost protection, especially from illegal occupation of lands, grazing, mining, etc.

This was not my first visit to this land of the Gonds and neither will it be the last. Read about my other intimate encounters with tigers including those from Tadoba.

Thanks to Himanshu Bagde and his team of guides and drivers, our experience in chilly November 2023, in the Dewada - Adegaon - Agarzari Range was nothing short of spectacular. All our safaris, bar one into Moharli, were in the Adegaon-Dewada Range and were exceptionally well handled by Viraj Raut and Dheeraj Katkar. The Adegaon-Dewada Buffer range is teeming with wild boar, sambhar and chital and is prime hunting ground for the numerous tigers who have made it their home. Six vehicles are allowed each morning and evening for the safari from this gate. In one of the hardy gypsies, we made our way into the jungle and the farther we ventured, the wilder it got and more animals and birds came out of their roosts to start their day after the night’s rest. Dominated by the dense clumps of Bamboo, Teakwood, Crocodile Bark (ain) and Coromandel Ebony (tendu) trees, interspersed with Vetiver (khus) grasses, the vegetation of Tadoba is of a diverse blend of tropical and subtropical dry-broadleaf and dry-deciduous trees and thus a motley mix of charms even in the driest of the seasons.

These forests have been home to some of the biggest tigers, the largest number of tigers born every year and also the highest number of human-tiger conflicts. These prime territories are encircled by many ranges, each with its unique habitat supporting a different prey-base on which tigers subsist, and only the best of the tigers ruling these territories pass on their genes, a fabulous example of Darwins natural selection is always happening at Tadoba.

This then was the backdrop we drove into and this time the jungle welcomed us with open arms showing us, from close proximity, the amazing wildlife and apex predators it shelters and nourishes. I have already written about our experience with C2, W-female and Taru. 

The gear used:

• Canon 7D Mark ii wearing the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III

Find all the gear I use in my Kit Bag.

Some of the closest photos in the gallery below were as close as 100mm and it was just us watching him walk with us. One of the most memorable experiences one can have with a wild tiger!

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