We grow up with stories and legends of tigers, from documentaries and books like the Jim Corbett tales. On a first visit to a tiger park, the tiger is a mysterious, elusive animal, much sought after, and you spend the whole time hoping to come face to face with one. Words like “movement,” “pugmarks” and “alarm calls” become the buzzwords as everyone around you — the guides and drivers — does all they can to find this top predator. But once you have visited a park a few times, the tiger stops being just a tiger; it becomes an individual with a name, as recognisable as a friend. Names like Munna, Bamera, Machli, Collarwali and Maya will ring a bell with keen tiger lovers, for these are famous animals in their parks, no longer simply tigers but characters in their own right.
In this article we look at some of the most regularly seen tigers in the iconic Ranthambore National Park. We cover only the tigers alive as of today, 16 June 2020, and not those gone by. Each holds a certain area of the park — its territory — and defends it against other tigers.
T19, or Krishna — Our list has to start with the first family of the park. Krishna is the daughter of the legendary tigress Machli, said to be the most photographed tiger in the world. Like her mother, Krishna once held the prime lake territory of Zone 3, but she has since been pushed into the Berda and Semli areas of Zone 4 by her own daughter Arrowhead, who is next on our list. By recent reports, Krishna has had cubs, likely to be visible to tourists after this monsoon.
T84, or Arrowhead — Arrowhead is among the most-seen tigers in Ranthambore today. She holds the famous lake territory, long her family’s stronghold. She has two sub-adult cubs on the verge of leaving her. I have been lucky enough to watch her hunt in her sub-adult days and to see her grow from a three-month-old cub into the tigress she is now.
T39, or Noor — Noor is perhaps the most photogenic and most regularly seen tigress in Ranthambore. Her territory overlaps Zones 1, 2 and 6. Last year I was fortunate to see her mate with a prime male, Kumbha, around Zone 6; he is next on our list. Her last litter, two females, Noorie and Sultana, are adults now and hold territory near hers.
T34, or Kumbha — One of the prime males of Ranthambore, Kumbha is known by his curved tail; I have never seen it straight like other tigers’. He holds a territory across Zones 2 and 6 and has mated with prime tigresses such as Noor and Laadli (T8), most likely fathering all of T8’s cubs.
T57, or Aurangzeb — A small disclaimer: this tiger has no link to his Mughal namesake, beyond a reputation for being just as fierce. Seen mostly around Zone 2, he is a handsome male, a little shy, and watching him walk the forest track is a sight to remember.
T42, or Fateh — Easily the largest tiger in the tourism zones of Ranthambore, Fateh makes his home in Zone 10. He has not been seen for the last three months, but officials believe he is still alive, pushed from his territory by younger tigers. Even the stoutest heart can skip a beat when he walks towards you, and a few (un)fortunate souls have seen him charge. He has never harmed a tourist, but a mock charge from him is enough to shake anyone — and yes, I have been on the receiving end of one.
T60, or Junior Indu — Regularly seen around the Phootakot area of Zone 2, T60 now appears often for tourists and is a big draw, especially with her cub. In summer she is frequently at the waterhole, though she has not quite had the star billing of an Arrowhead or a Noor.
T8, or Laadli — The prime female of Zone 6, she had two sons, Jai and Veeru, until last year (if the names sound filmy, wait for our article on Tadoba). Veeru was killed in a fight with Fateh, while Jai is said to hold Fateh’s old territory in Zone 10 now. T8 has mostly mated with T34 and is often seen on the meadows of the Zone 6 hills.
T41, or Laila — A Berda–Semli resident in Zone 4, Laila is unpredictable when it comes to sightings, but has held the same territory for many years. She mated several times with the male T6, whose whereabouts are now unknown.
T58, or Rocky — True to his name, he is often seen on the rocky ground of Zone 6, at spots like Saran ka Patta. He is the brother of T57.
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