[Leica] A Meeting With Machali

[kanner at acm.org (Herbert Kanner)]

A touching story and wonderful images.

Herb


>Machali is India's best known tigress, and at around 15 years she is very
>old. She has raised 5 litters of cubs, and a large proportion of the tigers
>at Ranthambhore and Sariska are her descendants, one way or the other. A
>few years ago it was estimated that she has directly or indirectly been
>responsible in  bringing in around USD10-15mm per year into the local
>economy for the last 15 years, which is probably an underestimate. Anyway,
>every year I see her I presume it is the last time, and I bid her adieu,
>but she is not dead yet, and there we have a story with ethical and
>cautionary overtones. Machali has lost most of her canines and cannot hunt
>normal prey. When I saw her last year she looked to be on her last legs,
>she could hardly lift her head, and I really thought I would never see her
>again, as you can read:
>
>http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Ranthambhore_001/2011/Ranthambhore_20110305_1450-Edit.jpg.html
>
>At this time (last year), because of her general fame, the Wildlife
>Department decided to start feeding her, which they have continued to do to
>this day. Her territory, though shrinking is good, with plenty of prey,
>water and cover. If she had been allowed "to pass gentle into the good
>night", another tigress capable of bearing young would have moved in, for
>the ultimate good of a highly endangered species. This episode also raises
>another couple of ethical questions - having started to feed her, do they
>stop? If they do stop, do they also euthanize her?
>
>Anyway, we did see her this year, hale and hearty, looking well fed (of
>course!), in the heart of her territory at a water hole called Lakarda. She
>came out of the grass behind our jeep:
>
>http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Ranthambhore_001/2012/Ranthambhore_20120402_0152.jpg.html
>
>She warily kept an eye on us as she started moving towards the water:
>
>http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Ranthambhore_001/2012/Ranthambhore_20120402_0154.jpg.html
>
>At one point, she stopped - but without taking her eyes off us:
>
>http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Ranthambhore_001/2012/Ranthambhore_20120402_0166.jpg.html
>
>She came close and stopped again - this is uncropped:
>
>http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Ranthambhore_001/2012/Ranthambhore_20120402_0181.jpg.html
>
>She then stopped on the rock next to the water and looked around with a
>regal bearing, fit for the queen she is:
>
>http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Ranthambhore_001/2012/Ranthambhore_20120402_0195.jpg.html
>
>Finally, she turned around for a last look, and then disappeared into the
>vegetation:
>
>http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Ranthambhore_001/2012/Ranthambhore_20120402_0204.jpg.html
>
>Please see LARGE.
>
>Comments and Criticism, as ever, welcome.
>
>Cheers
>Jayanand
>
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-- 
Herbert Kanner
kanner at acm.org
650-326-8204

Question authority and the authorities will question you.