Friday 20 April 2012

Nya Nya ne Nya Nya, I saw a TIGER

Pardon me for jumping to the end, there are interesting things to come, but I just couldn't wait to share these pictures with you.  We are at Ranthambhore again and I've become a big game hunter!  All in the nicest sense of course.  I spot the game and the staff take the photos (Not exactly Jock, it's our guide Ram who spots the game for us and excellent he is too.) Details, details, we get to see lots of game and I spot it, so there.
 This is me astride the roll-bar on the jeep we go out in.  The view is excellent from up there, even if he does make my feet look big (sometimes the camera doesn't lie.)
 This is a more sympathetic view taken by Ann. It shows how I travel about and get to see things.  First we get up at 5.00 a.m and there is much rubbing of eyes.  Then we zoom along the road to the reserve to get there just after 6.00.  We are out looking for cats - Tigers - and I thought I'd show you a few of the pictures he took this morning.

This was almost our first glimpse of Machali the oldest tiger in the reserve and the most photographed. It took Alan simply AGES to see her, he must be getting old (Watch it, you cheeky we bear.) I didn't thing she looked too big until she got up close.  She's GINORMOUS  If you think I've got big feet you should see the plates of meat on a tiger.  One kick from them and I'd be in the next country.  (Indeed you wouldn't last long and nor would I.)

 This is a close-up of the old lady, strolling along looking for somewhere to sleep.  When she got to a good spot she lay down and went spark out.  Raj says she lost her canine teeth fighting a crocodile about 8 years ago, but I still think she'd give me a good hard suck (You betcha!)
 We trundled around and staff used some time taking pictures of birds.  Above is a magpie robin, pretty isn't it.
 This is a bee-eater with its breakfast - silly name to call it as it's eating a dragonfly.  I reckon it should be called a Dragonfly Eater myself.  (Well yes they do eat more than bees, but mostly bees so the name won't change.) Humph!
Alan was idly snapping away while we waited for the tigers to appear.  We could hear the sambur deer barking, which means that there's a predator about, so we had to be patient.  I wanted to get out and play with the monkeys, but they were very agitated too for some reason. (Tigers eat monkeys, so they weren't going to hang around even to play with you.) Shucks, anyway, after hanging around for simply ages, suddenly there was a great commotion as we saw not one but THREE tigers.  This is a famous group as it consists of a male tiger and two female cubs.  The cubs were orphaned at about three months and the male adopted them, something unheard of before. Well they were hard to see at first until one of the young females came out to chase the monkeys (See what I mean.)  Alan got this lovely picture and a few more and then we went back to camp for our breakfast -- totally exhausted.

2 comments:

  1. I wouldn't hang around up on that roll bar too much Jock, you might just become a tiger snack! Mind you, they'd be picking your fur out from between their teeth for days...

    Jack

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  2. Hi Jock,

    Great photos - um, that kitty cat - maybe you should keep your distance? (o:

    Hugs ♥
    Prudence

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