Mother Extra-Ordinary: T17

They are descendent of an extraordinary bloodline; their family is known as the saviour of Ranthambhore during crisis time & truly so. Their mother was an extraordinary character, and so is their maternal grandmother Machli II. They were born out of prayers, Mother did everything possible to be blessed & give Ranthambhore its next set of Rulers. She after all had fought hard to earn this, losing dear ones was a price attached but she didn’t budge. As a queen, it was upon her to provide Ranthambhore it’s next first family.

Finally, her prayers were answered & descended these 3 bundles of joys. The whole world celebrated with her, after all, people loved her for everything she was. Due to constant pressure from her male partners, she had some tough choices to make. On one side was her pristine kingdom, her prized possession after a bitter family battle OR the safety of her young ones. She chose the obvious & quietly slipped away towards the periphery of the park far away. For her motherhood was perhaps above all materialistic things.

But the joy was short-lived as she got injured badly, perhaps while fighting with one of the males & then suddenly disappeared leaving 10 odd months cubs alone. Was this the ultimate price to be paid for the safety of her prayers & she again chose the obvious, only she knows.

The orphan cubs were once again bought up by the forest department in the wilderness without keeping them in an enclosure, something Ranthambhore FD has mastered over the years. They not only survived but have turned into sub-adults, 3 beautiful specimens of their species perhaps missing some family traits which only a mother could teach but still glad they could make it.

One of the male cubs of T17

While I missed them by a whisker on a couple of occasions when they were young, finally saw the two boys together in April 2014. They look in great shape, and have started making kills on their own at times I am being told. Bit shy of vehicles still, unlike their clan but understandably so. I was happy to see them surviving against all odds, perhaps mother nature herself was protecting them at all times. Having grown up without a mother that too in one of the most notorious areas of the park is no less than a miracle…. they truly are ‘Destiny Child’.

p.s: This would not have been possible without the dedicated team of guards, trackers & other FD officials of Ranthambhore. By no means this blog post aims to take credit away from these people in ensuring the safety/survival of these cubs.