The morning in Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is one of those overcast ones. The Queen of the Lake, also known as the Talabwali female, was lounging in the open space as soon as we got to this lake, or talab as it is known in the local language. She stood up and began to move as soon as the first of her four cubs joined her. The second cub joined in a little while after.
These two cubs tried to get their mother’s attention by obstructing her one after the other, but Talabwali, their mother, kept moving away from the lake and towards the woods. The third and fourth cubs also followed their siblings and joined them. These cubs are about three to four months old and rely heavily on their mother. They strictly adhere to their mother’s directions, which is essential for their survival in the bush.
The young ones are told not to leave the area when the tigress is out hunting prey because doing so could leave them open to assaults from other predators like leopards and packs of wild dogs.
