Expert: Jonathan Wright - 6/27/2009

Question
Hello sir, Iam a 17 year old highschool student and a young expert at big cats. Im going back home to Central India in a months time..as you know, central india has the biggest population of bengal tigers in india...but the fact is, that although the big national parks are extensively reported, the small sanctuaries and reserves are not. Theres this sanctuary called the ratapani tiger reserve and it has a small population of tigers...but there isnt any data on them...all i have is the story of my grandpa who got mauled by a tiger at the riverbank while fishing. I have a trail camera and a good amount of knowledge sir and i wan't to find out if there are any more tigers left at in this sanctuary...so i need a guide on tracking wild tigers sir if you could just send it to me....ive googled it to no avail...i hope u can help out..thnx a heap

Answer
Dear Zaid

Thank you for your question. I also wish to thank the authors of the websites I used.

First of all, I strongly advise you not to track tigers by yourself. Your grandpa was mauled by a tiger and there is a strong risk that you would be attacked as well. I would advise you to contact the sanctuary and arrange for a local guide to help you track tigers. Local experts should be able to locate tiger paw prints (see http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=paw+print+tiger+panthera++&btnG=Search+image... claw marks, excrement and other signs of tigers and be able to distinguish recent tiger movements from those made several days before. As far as I know, there is no guide to tracking tigers, but you can find information about paw prints, claw marks and other signs of local tigers.

If you can afford to do this, and there are elephants available, I suggest that you ride on elephants during your survey. If you do locate tigers, being on top of an elephant will give you more safety. You will also need permission if you decide to tag any of the tigers, so that you can distinguish tigers you see for the first time from those you have seen before.

Please note that it can be daunting being in a forest by yourself. Many years ago, I was in a forest in Madagascar and the party I was with left me. It was worrying being surrounded by trees and not knowing where to go. I was releived when my guide called me and I found the other party members. I think I'd have felt worse being alone in an area with possible tigers in it.

I couldn't find any details about tigers in Ratapani Tiger Reserve, but http://projecttiger.nic.in/serviceDir.htm has contact details for reserves in India and I suggest that you make some phone calls or send some e-mails for additional information.

Once again, please don't attempt to do this research by yourself. There are several tiger charities that may be able to help, but I suggest that you contact the reserves first.

Good luck

Jonathan