Tiger, Kanha. Taken on location from the back of an elephant during a "tiger show".

There are only 5,000 tigers remaining in the world today. India hosts a staggering 60% of this total, with the next largest population in Southeast Asia. There are no tigers in Africa, which gives tourists to India a unique safari experience.  Seeing a tiger in the wild should be a priority on any traveler’s itinerary.

The centrally-located Madhya Pradesh province holds two of the best places to see tigers in the wild. After viewing the stunning Islamic architecture of Delhi and Agra or visiting the amazing Buddhist caves outside of Mumbai, take a quick flight to Kanha National Park or Bandhavgarh National Park (outside of Khajuraho) to to view one of India’s most unique natural sites: tigers.

Why Kanha or Bandhavgarh?

There are only two wildlife parks in India that offer you the opportunity to ride into inaccessible (by car) areas of the park on mahout-driven elephants to view tigers up-close during the day (this is called a “tiger show”): Bandhavgarh and Kanha (both are located close to each other in the province of Madhya Pradesh). In addition, both parks have a large tiger population, making them the two premier spots in India for sightings.

Information on Bengal Tigers

• The tiger is the largest of all thirty-seven species of wild cats. Along with the lion, the leopard, the snow leopard and the jaguar, the tiger is classified in the genus “Panthera”, which comprises the group of big cats that are capable of roaring, due to a modification of the hyboid bone.
• There are probably 5,000 tigers remaining in the world today (this estimate was given to us by researchers at Kanha). India hosts 60% of this total (the subspecies specifically being the “Bengal Tiger”), with the greatest concentration thereafter being in Southeast Asia (there are no tigers in Africa).
• Tigers are the only big cats with stripes.  The stripe patterns on each tiger, designed for camouflage, differ on each side of its body.
• Males weigh 400-500 lbs and females 220-350 lbs.
• Tigers are successful in 1 out of every 10-20 attempts to stalk and kill prey. Tigers kill their prey with either a bite on the back of the neck that serves to sever the spinal column or a bite on the throat that serves to suffocate its prey. An adult tigress needs to kill a fair-sized prey (200 lbs) 40-50 times per year, or every 7-8 days.
• Tigers possess two sensory enhancements, neither of which is unique to this species: the tepetum lucidum, a reflective patch in the retina which improves vision in low light conditions; and the vemeronasal organ (VNO), sometimes called Jacobseon’s organ, which is located in the roof of the mouth. The use of the VNO is most obvious in the grimace known as flehmen, in which the animal wrinkles its nose and extends its tongue; the VNO is designed to evaluate the sexual receptivity of females.
• Tigers have evolved as basically solitary animals (as compared to lions that exists largely in group formations). Both males and females are territorial and have specifically staked out areas in which each animal pursues prey.
• Females nurse cubs for 20-24 months; gestation period of 105 days; average litter of 2-3 cubs, with high mortality rate (34% in first year, 17% in second), the most common reason for death being infanticide, the killing of the cubs by a new male looking to mate with the mother tiger.
• Poaching is still a real problem, particularly because elements of the tiger are still in in demand for traditional Chinese medicine.

Hotel. Kipling Camp. 07649/277218. www.kiplingcamp.com. Although it is far from luxury and a bit expensive, this is the quintessential (and first) camp in the area, to the best of our knowledge. It is located right outside of the entrance to Kanha. The camp appears to suffer a little from a staff turnover issue, however, it is more than adequate. You are here to see tigers and they maximize your experience on this front, running a morning and afternoon game drive led by experienced naturalists.

Information on other parks in India. Dave and Deb, Canada’s Adventure Couple, recently posted a feature on Ranthambore National Preserve, which was taken from a feature by Akila of The Road Forks.

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