... and single parent

A TIGRESS is quite unlike Amy Chua’s tiger mother. If she is demanding of her little ones, nature is far more demanding of her in the jungle out there.

Tiger cubs are born blind and remain entirely dependent on their mother for the first two months. “At this stage, they are vulnerable to every other predator. That is part of nature’s balancing act, which allows a fair chance to others against the apex predator. Only one out of two tiger cubs grow up to rule the forest,” says P K Sen, former director, Project Tiger.

As is customary in the wild, a tigress does not usually waste resources on a weakling and focuses on the dominant ones. She must teach them to stalk, chase and kill by the time they are two. No matter if that training is fraught with risks.

If that makes tigresses demanding mothers, they are also the most efficient single moms in nature. Wild dogs, wolves, hyenas and even lions operate in groups, which makes survival a shared responsibility. Tigers and leopards are solitary wild cats. During every family cycle — 13-16 weeks of gestation followed by a couple of years of cub rearing — a tigress is very much on her own.

“As a single mother, she must protect her cubs by keeping a close watch and frequently changing hiding spots. All this while, she must also hunt to stay alive. Once her cubs stop suckling, she must pick up small prey to serve as ‘baby food’. If the male that fathered her cubs is dispossessed by another tiger, she must fight the new suitor desperate to kill her wards to establish his own bloodline,” says Dr Dharmendra Khandal, who has been studying tigers in Ranthambore for over a decade.

Photo courtesy Aditya Singh The famous Machli of Ranthambore with her cubs. Even without two canines, she hunted successfully, raised 5 cubs in last two litters.