Machli has a postage stamp, short films-documentaries and even several Facebook pages dedicated to her.
Even as several wildlife lovers not only in India but also across the world are praying for a miracle, forest officials from Rajasthan's Ranthambore Tiger Reserve believe that the end of India's most photographed and loved tigress- Machli could be near.
"T-16 who is also known as Machli is unwell and appears to be extremely dull, it was two days back that she was found on the fringe of the park close to a dense forested patch near a luxury resort. As soon as we got to know her condition the entire patch was taken over by the forest staff and cordoned and our staff and even Vets have been monitoring her condition," informed YK Sahu, Field Director of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.
Sahu stated that she is 19 years old, which is like being 110 year old human. "She has been moving very little, which is unusual for a tiger that is known to move a lot and also she has not even been eating. Since she is a wild tigresses there cannot be a lot of intervention, still we are doing all that can be done," he said adding that things do not look very positive given her condition.
Machli who barely needs any introduction is known to be the oldest living tigress in wild and her fame has been such that she has been drawing tourists from all over the globe. Infact as per wildlife photographer Aditya Singh she was named Machli by Colin Patrick Stafford-Johnson, cinematographer who went on to do five documentaries on her after he spotted what looked like an 'angel fish' on her cheek.
"Her most famous and remembered wildlife encounter is the one where she not only fought but also killed a 14 foot long crocodile, she is a legend and will remain undisputed queen of Ranthambore even if she is gone. Inspite of being in her prime even in this season she was most sought after as a lot of tourists feel that unless they have seen Machli their journey to Ranthambore remains incomplete," said a park guide adding that almost half of the tigers from Ranthambore belong to her lineage.
In fact her fame is such that she has a postage stamp, several short films-documentaries on her name and even has several Facebook pages dedicated to her.
Machli has lost all her canines during her fight with crocodile and as per sources she was given baits to ensure she does not die due to hunger and she even had a dedicated team that used to keep a track of her movement. "She was a big crowd puller and hence even the Rajasthan government used to keep a tab on her well being as she was India's celebrity tiger. Infact it was in early 2014 she was thought to be dead spreading a panic as she was not spotted for close to 26 days but soon she emerged," said a forest official adding that however this time seeing her condition it was difficult to believe that she will yet again cheat death.
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