Fateh Gets Lucky Again

T42 aka Fateh, the resident male of Qual Ji zone gets lucky again. Named after the legendary Tiger-man of India late Fateh Singh Rathore this tiger is notorious for his short temper & has been responsible for giving nightmares to a few tourists in the past. In March 2013 he lost his long-time companion T37 aka Meera suddenly. She died of Natural reasons & ever since there were concerns about his fate & existence in that area.

Qual Ji has been a face saver for Ranthambhore during the peak tourist season for the last 2 years as the entire surplus of Ranthambhore traffic was routed to this area & frequent sighting kept tourists happy despite a painful drive of 1.30 hours. The loss of a tiger was a big jolt to many including the tea & sweet shop in Falaudi town which had become a regular halt for tourists.

T42 with new female- Image courtesy Hemraj Meena

A few months back there were rumours of female footprints in the zone but nothing could be confirmed. In December 2013 some tourist vehicles saw footprints of a female tiger followed by a brief glimpse of this young tigress. Having grown up in the non-tourism zone of Indaala Range she was not used too of vehicles in the vicinity & therefore disappeared in bushes after a brief sighting.

During another peak holiday season & the number of vehicles increased in the zone. More vehicles also mean more eyes and ears in the park & finally, she was photographed by Hemraj Meena a leading Naturalist on 05.01.14 with T42 followed by reports of mating on 06.01.14.

Fateh surely gets lucky once again, wishing them both a happy & safe life & hoping the Qual Ji tribe increases soon.