Tracking the elusive Tigers

9 min readAug 5, 2020

All the special words you can use can be applied to a Tiger, The king, The Queen, beautiful, powerful, magnificent, enchanting, graceful, majestic, bold, caring, emotional, affectionate, vulnerable. What better being could there be?

Looking at these apex predators is a very humbling experience. Eye contact with this animal is enough to set that person off in awe, it is a very intense and an electric moment, it provokes so much emotion, something that everyone should experience. It will be one of those unforgettable moments of your life.

Everyone feels that if you go to a national park you will get to see a tiger, well that’s not the case, tigers are territorial animals, a male tiger covers a territory of about 50–100 sq. km. within which there will be 2–3 tigresses which cover a territory of about 20–25 sq. km. Usually, in a national park, only about 10 -20% of the forest is open for tourism, for example in Jim Corbett National Park only 521 sq. km. of the park is open for tourism. Now in this 521 sq. km. roads won’t be going everywhere, and you are in the dense forest so unless you have a clean line of sight you won’t be able to see a tiger which usually happens somewhere near the road or near a watering hole. On top of that, you get 3–4 hours in a safari, and tigers are almost always on the move, now you see how low the chances are to see one in the wild?

This blog is about how to improve your chances of getting to see a tiger in the wild.

A National Park is divided into different zones, and within those zones, there are several routes, Whenever you book safaris for a zone make sure you ask people working at the stay which you book, or if you know someone who visits that national park frequently about the zones in which most sightings are happening currently. I will always suggest booking at least 4 safaris in one zone to increase the probability of getting to see a tiger.

Take into consideration the season you are going to visit in, if there is overcast or if it has rained recently then the chances are low because even tigers like to lazy around in such weather as we do. If it is summers then there is a high chance you will get to see one near some watering hole. In winter tigers like to walk on the pagdandi’s since they are dry and warm.

Now comes the day before you go to your safari, ask the driver, guides, and hotel managers about the movement of tigers they saw that day. From this, you will get a rough idea of where the tigers can be. If tigers have made a hunt then they will be in the same area for the next 4–5 days. if the tigers were on the move then there is a high chance that they will be found in that direction about 10–15 km away from that place. Now you have an idea of where you are going to start tracking the next day.

Finally, Game Day is here, morning safaris usually start at 6 am, make sure you reach the National Park gate before 5.30 am, that means you have to be up by 4.45 am and get ready, have a small meal and leave. Tigers usually move early morning or late evening, so these are times where the probability of getting to see one is more. And that is why you have to be early at the gate so that you will be one of the first ones to enter the national park.

While on the safari ask the people with you to be quiet at all times, look at tree barks for claw marks. Tigers usually scratch tree barks to sharpen their claws and to leave the scent of the presence to warn off rivals.

When it’s a soft road then pay attention to the road to see if there are fresh pugmarks. If it is a deep clear depression then it is fresh pug mark, if it is covered with dust or it is not clear enough that means it is probably a few days old. If the pugmark is in perfect shape that means the tiger is walking at a slow pace, if the pugmark looks a bit stretched, as in if the ends of the pugmark are not clear enough means the tiger is walking at a fast pace, which means either there is a rival in the area or the tiger is out for a hunt. A small size pugmark can be mistaken by that of a leopard but it is possible that it can be of a sub-adult tiger.

Notice the different scents in the air, if you smell a carcass then there is a chance there is some predator in the vicinity. Oh yes, a carcass smells really bad and sometimes after eating the smell of the carcass is on a tiger and they smell that way as well.

The most important thing you need to be aware of is the sounds of the jungle. When the other residents of the jungle see or smell a predator they warn everyone in the jungle that there is a predator in that area. They do this by giving a loud call, this call is called an Alarm call or a Jungle call. Many animals give these calls, Spotted deer, Sambhar deer, Barking deer, Langur. If you have never heard an Alarm call before then do search the web for it, if you are in the forest then you will hear the safari guide saying “Sambhar bol raha he” or “Langur bol raha he” when they say that, do listen to to the sounds going around the forest, you will understand what is an Alarm call.

If the alarm calls are continuous that means there is some predator there and it is on the move, if the call stops that means the predator has left the area or just sat down, wait in that place for 15–20 minutes to see if the predator moves again. If the alarm call was just for a few seconds that means the prey has a feeling that the predator is nearby but not sure about it, in this case too you should wait for some time to see if the Alarm calls start again to make sure you didn’t miss it.

As I’ve mentioned above, tigers are extremely territorial and they keep moving in their territory constantly to protect it, they follow the same route almost every day to move around in their territory to protect it, so all the guides know the regular routes, road crossings and the nalas which the tigers cross.

We talked about early mornings and late evenings, what do you do for the rest of the time? Tigers like to rest under a shade near a watering hole during the peak sun hours of the day, so whichever area you were looking at visit the watering holes in those areas and look for signs like pugmarks and smell. You can also just check random routes.

When you see a Tiger, do not panic, do not make noise, maintain a distance, and take pictures or look at it through your binoculars and just appreciate the beauty. You will be very excited and will want to talk to the people in your vehicle about the tiger which is in front of you, but that can wait, just enjoy the wonder right now because you do not know how long the tiger will visible for or if you will get to see one again soon, so just take it all in and you can share your excitement with your friends later.

Do not get disappointed if you do not get to see a tiger, do not blame your guide or driver for that. It is nature, no matter how good your plan is, in the end, nature is unpredictable. All you can do is increase your chances to get to see a tiger, that’s all there is in your hands.

Sometimes after spending 3 days in the forest, that’s all you get

3 days on a boat in the mangroves of Sundarbans and just one shot

Remember, a safari should not be just about tracking a tiger. When you enter the national park listen to what the guide has to tell about the national park, he will tell you about the history, about the different types of trees and birds, about the different animals residing in the forest, he will tell you amazing stories and experiences he has had in the years he has worked there. Enjoy the experience. You will get to learn so much about different types of plants, birds, and animals. Notice the difference in behavior, notice the different songs and colors of the birds, notice the different shapes and sizes of the trees, notice the interaction between the animals.

The most important thing you need to remember is that we are guests in their homes, so please treat the forest with respect, do not litter, do not make noise, do not disturb or feed animals, do not force your driver to drive fast.

Do help me increase awareness for tigers.

“The forest lives because of the tiger and we live because of the forest”

I would like to thank my travel partners- TravelEarth360, they have helped me visit so many national parks across the country, without them it would have been very difficult. If you want to visit some national parks then do contact them, they are amazing people.