My latest tryst with the tiger, at Ranthambore

Photo Credits: Ameen Ahmed / Diwakar Sharma / WWF-India I sighted my first tiger one summer afternoon in south-interior India's Bandipur Tiger Reserve, I guess in 1981 - 82. This was from an elephant back during a trip with my immediate family. I was 6 or 7 then and the tigress was with its cubs at a waterhole. Ever since, I have occasionally seen tigers in the wild. But I never got close with a camera, like the one below. On 25 June this year, I made my decent use of this oppurtunity, 27 - 28 years later at Ranthambore National Park and Tiger Reserve in North India's state of Rajasthan. I was there with my colleague of WWF-India Dr. Diwakar Sharma. We were able to sight and photograph 'T17', a friendly tigress that roams just behind the entrance gate to the safari area in Ranthambore National Park. She is said to be the daughter of 'Machili', a widely known and photographed tigresses in this park. We were lucky to observe her behavi