Adventure & Wildlife Magazine - Vol 1|Issue 5-6| Nov 16 - Jan 17 Vol 1|Issue 5-6| Nov 16 - Jan 17 | Page 87

ADVENTURE & WILDLIFE
Tales from the Jungle
Amith Bhavikatti
Bettada Rani
In Bandipura a huge female known as the Bettada Katte
female lives in the hilly regions of Moolapura. Since this
region is located close to the forest camps,she has been
noticed by several forest officials at the camps. Usually
in safaris, the tracking of animals is done with the help
of pug marks and scenting smells and or with the help of
kills.
We came across some pug marks of a male and female
tiger near the concerned region. We heard that a few
vehicles had had a glimpse of this Tigress early morning.
To be frank, luck plays a major role and patience does
not pay it’s dividends so soon . So, we thought of trying
our luck at the fag end of the safari. We reached the place
and saw a vehicle waiting ,but they left the scene after a
few minutes. We heard alarm calls of barking deer, but
it was too far to judge the presence. I asked the driver to
go to the back of the Moolapura lake region and then
approach, as the tigress is very shy and will definitely
come once we move from here. And as we came near the
lake , suddenly the driver shouted “Sir! tiger near lake.”
When the driver shouts “Tiger”, the heart beats so hard
and our eyes begin to search for the stripes in that rush
of excitement. At last, our luck and patience has paid
off, with a the glimpse of the elusive tigress. There she
Vol 1|Issue 5-6|Nov 16 - Jan 17
was, frozen in position looking at us, owing to her being
shy. I in turn had told the driver to switch off the jeep
engine and be calm. There was a profound and silent
communication that happened between us for few
seconds, as she sat on the banks of the lake when we
switched off our vehicle. By this time, we had positioned
ourselves and captured a few beautiful images. She was
very shy and looking straight into us. I had asked the
driver not to move the jeep, until she feels comfortable
with us. Going by her physique, she is very huge, built
strong and looked as big as a male tiger. She may have
been born and bought up in the core area,and she looks
like she was in heat and hence came down in search of a
mate. This is such a awe inspiring moment to see a tigress,
who is one day, going to rule the region of Bandipur by
her sheer beauty and size. She,is the new mate for Tiger
Prince hence I call her as Bettada Rani ( The Queen of
the Hills).
As our vehicle was turned on as our safari time was
ending, she just got up and ran inside the bushes, she is
too shy and may need months to be comfortable with
the tourist vehicles. This is the first full fledged sighting
on this female tigress by JLR vehicle or even the Forest
Dept. tourism vehicles.These such moments in the wild
can never be described in words. My thanks to the Team
JLR for tracking this.
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