A Royal Bengal Tiger in the Wild? What are the odds?

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What are the odds of seeing a Royal Bengal Tiger in the wild? It is definitely a rare occurrence, primarily due to the estimated number of tigers left in India. In the 1930's it was estimated that there were over 40,000. But, even with India's Project Tiger, poaching has reduced the number to @1500. There are 39 tiger preserves in the country, totalling @ 32,000 sq kilometers. But the slide to extinction seems relentless, and the chances of seeing a tiger is becoming rare. On my recent trip to India with Overseas Adventure Travel, we visited Rathambore National Park over two days, March 28 and 29. We had been pre-warned in our briefing that the odds of seeing a tiger was around 100 to 1. So, with our expectations dutifully lowered, we entered the National Park. 5 minutes later, we spotted a Royal Bengal Tiger drinking out of a stream. He was a huge male that our guide estimated to be 4' at the shoulders, and 8' in length. An incredibly beautiful animal. We parked our "gypsy truck" about 60' away, across the stream from the tiger. We were told by one of the park rangers that the tiger had made a kill of a large deer earlier, which was in a depression right next to the road (about 30 feet from us). The tiger had obviously been feeding on the carcass, and needed water after his meal. Finally, the tiger got up and began walking over to check on the kill (since there are other predators in the Park, especially leopards). After checking the kill, the tiger retreated back to a grassy spot to rest. After getting dozens of photos, we decided to go on into the park, where we spent several hours observing a variety of wildlife, including several varieties of deer, large peacocks and many other colorful birds, crocodiles , wild pigs, and many monkeys. The roads in the park are incredibly rough, and we were glad to begin our journey back to the park entrance. At the spot where we spotted the tiger, there were many more vehicles, a clear indication that the tiger was still there. And, indeed, he had entered the stream and was up to his neck. After a few minutes he began a slow wade out of the water and walked directly at us, allowing for great close-up photos. He crossed the road between vehicles and disappeared into the brush. The dozens of monkeys in the trees became quite agitated, and raised quite the ruckus. With that the great tiger observation ended.

After lunch, we headed back to the National Park, but the serenity of this mornings tiger spotting had been replaced by a scrum of cars, trucks and gypsy jeeps. The word had gone out and, seemingly, the entire city of Rathambore had come to see the rare sight. But, the tiger was there, lounging about 50 yards away. Then, against all odds, a second tiger walked in. This, according to the park ranger who knew the tigers by sight, said it was the son of the first tiger. The crowd was enormous and we were totally blocked in. But, with some creative driving, and the park rangers finally taking charge and denying additional access, we escaped the traffic jam and returned to our hotel. If 1 tiger sighting is 100-1, sighting 2 is almost infinitesimal. An amazing adventure that few will ever experience.

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Photos

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Royal Bengal Tiger drinking from a stream after making a kill.

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Tiger returns to check on his kill.

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Same tiger now cooling off in the water.

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Moving out of the stream to check on the kill again.

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Approaching our position.

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Right in front of us. Amazing!!!!!