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Showing posts from June, 2014

Tiger Tales from Ranthambore || T-16 or "Lady of the Lake" AKA "Machali"

A Lifetime Achievement Award! A Facebook Fan Page! And no! We aren't talking about a veteran Bollywood actor. It is none other than the "Lady of the Lake", or T-16, the undisputed matriarch, the proud grandmother of most of the cubs now learning to take their first steps in the rugged forests of Ranthambore. Also known as "Machali", a name she has inherited from her mother, she is mostly sighted cooling herself in one of the many water bodies in her territory. And even though her once glossy coat is now losing its shine and she has lost most of her canines, few would guess that the graceful tigress has now been on the prowl for the past 18 years, much longer than the average lifespan of Royal Bengal Tigers. Machali lounging in one of the many waterbodies Photo courtesy Komal Desai The tigress has led an eventful life and one wonders what memories haunt her as she lazes around in water enjoying her semi-retirement, "semi-" because a tiger in a