Yes. Absolutely.
I have been asked several times about this image, and folks wonder why this tiger was so angry. A bit of a story, so here goes.
June 11, 2015 Peggy Keller and I were in India, on a 16 game drive tour. (2 per day, morning and afternoon trips.)
So we were in our area, looking and trekking around to find something to shoot. Nothing was going on, so in an open are out of the forest, we saw a gathering of Jeeps.
Hoping they had something, we stopped by for a visit. They were just chatting,
So we overheard a conversation on the Ranger's radio (these guys are the only ones allowed to have a radio in the park) talking about a tiger on the main road. They said there were about 70 jeeps out there!
So I talked to Peggy, and we decided, let's take a look, since nothing was going on where we were located inside our area. We motored out quickly, to try to find a spot. Well, it was something.
Total gridlock on the highway! Going both directions. Good thing there was not an emergency!
The forest guy, Ashok Jain, looked me, and asked me where do I want to park. I chose the end of the line, closest to the road. The tiger was about 70 yards (ca. 64 m) ahead of us, buried in the bush. We had no shot.
So, I said to Peggy, let's be patient, I have a feeling this tiger is going to come by for a visit. About 5 minutes go by, and I could finally see him through the bush. Getting excited, I said to Peggy, “he is moving this way!!”
A few minutes later, Peggy said, “Holy F***, here he is.” Yes! He came through the bush and crossed a dried up creek. Maybe 40 yards (ca. 37 m) away from us! Clicking away!
So, his intention was simple, he wanted to cross the road. Seventy jeeps in front of us, bumper to bumper. He had no chance. Another 30 jeeps were already jammed behind us. No room to cross.
He needed at least eight feet to feel comfortable working his way through the jeeps. We quickly turned behind us and asked everyone to back off, so we could give him room. Thankfully, they did, as this situation was getting dangerous.
We were able to back up eight feet, and let him through. Slowly he walked past, and unto his home territory where his mother waited.
I do not remember his name or number, but here was called “the black one” if I remember correctly.
So the answer to the question, “Was he mad at Me?” Well, guess he was. But I think he looked at me asking for help. We all are in open jeeps, no doors, no windows, no roof. But so long as we are on the road, and not peeing in the bush, we are safe.
A game drive is much like driving around a campground in Canada. The roads are bumpy, and the bush is thick in places. If you go to India, and get 85% sightings per drive as we do, you are doing the correct things.
In this park, there are no real fences. There is a stone wall that blocks tigers from coming into the local community, but they can go around that wall.
Because this was a main road, and the number of vehicles on it is not controlled, this is a very rare incident. Within the areas, there is a limited number of jeeps, so tigers have lots of room to move around.
Thanks for reading this far, appreciated!
raymond.
