In Pictures: Tigress T-73 was recently spotted with her four-month-old cubs in a non-tourist zone with the help of trap cameras.
In welcome news for wildlife conservationists and tiger admirers alike, Tigress T-73 at the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan has given birth to three cubs, marking a rise in the tiger population in the state due to the healthy conservation efforts.
Tigress T-73, known to be a shy creature among tourists and wildlife authorities, was recently spotted with her four-month-old cubs in a non-tourist zone with the help of trap cameras.
This is the second time that she has given birth.
According to a report released by the park, wildlife authorities have already started undertaking several measures around the perimeter of the area where the mother, along with her cubs, was last sighted.
"This is good news for the tiger population at the Ranthambore National Park," said Divisional Forest Officer Mukesh Saini, "A few days back we had received information about new cubs in the reserve but could not authenticate it. Few pugmarks were seen but it was not certain that they were of the new cubs."
Another famous tigress, T-60, fondly known as 'Junior Indu', was also sighted with her cub a month back.
1. Who is Tigress T-73?
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Tigress T-73 is the daughter of the famous tigress T-17, famously known as 'Sundari' among tourists.
Sundari is, in turn, the daughter of another famous tigress T-16, who was known as 'Machali - The Lady of the Lake' and was once the star attraction of the Ranthambore National Park.
Machali, who was even offered a lifetime achievement award for being the highlight of conservation efforts in the entire country, had breathed her last three years ago.
T-73's cubs, therefore, are born into a proud family of beautiful tigresses who once controlled a large territory of the par
2. Why are the sightings an important win for wildlife conservation?
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To really get a grasp on the importance of the sightings, one has to know that the morale for tiger conservation efforts in Rajasthan took a hit after a particular incident around a fortnight ago - the death of seven-year-old ST-16 at the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar due to heatstroke.
ST-16 was one of Sundari's sons and was earlier moved to Sariska from Ranthambore two months ago to balance out the male-female tiger population there.
That T-73 was spotted with her cubs brings relief to wildlife activists and tiger conservation enthusiasts working hard each day to bring up the population of this glorious beast.
3. Where does that leave the present scenario?
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According to data available at the Ranthambore National Park report, a total of 71 tigers now reside in Ranthambore, whereas Sariska houses 16 more.
Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve, a lesser known park located chiefly in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan, harbours another four, bringing the total tiger population in the state to 91
