29th July 2016. news and photo credit : Nagpur today.
Maya, the Tiger Cuddled by Its Child - Set to Become Postal Stamp !
Posted on the 28 July 2016 by Sampathkumar Sampath
29th
July is - Global Tiger Day, often called International Tiger Day, a day
invented to raise awareness for tiger
conservation. All is not well with them.
Last
month Canberra's National Zoo and
Aquarium's elderly Bengal tiger, Bakkar has died. It was not actually a death,
the 21-year-old tiger was put down on Saturday due to ailing health, the zoo
said. "As an elderly tiger he had begun to show a decline in his
appearance in recent times and every possible measure was taken to maintain his
health, comfort and well-being," the zoo said. "He remained mobile
and alert right up to his last day but the decision was made to humanely
euthanise him after his health declined rapidly overnight."
Back home, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve in
Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state, notable for being a Tiger reserve ~
and this photo is making waves !
The
tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest cat species, most recognisable for their
pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with a lighter
underside. Tigers are predators, territorial and generally solitary but social
animals, often requiring large contiguous areas of habitat that support their
prey requirements. Their areas have been
shrinking. Tigers lost 93% of their natural habitat due to the expansion of
cities and agriculture by humans. Fewer tigers can survive in small, scattered
islands of habitat, which lead to a higher risk of inbreeding. These small
islands of habitat also make tigers more vulnerable to poaching. One of the world’s largest tiger populations
is found in the Sundarbans—a large mangrove forest area shared by India and
Bangladesh on the northern coast of the Indian Ocean.
Nagpur
Today reports that – Amol Bais, a resident of
Chandrapur, couldn't hide his enthusiasm as he recollected the first day of
2016 as if it was yesterday. Seated in an open vehicle during the morning
safari, he saw Maya, the tigress from Tadoba, getting a 'hug' from her cub, and
even as he immortalised that moment, he had no clue that months later his
iconic image would end up being used on a postal stamp. Bais, a wildlife
photographer and headmaster of a school for tribal students at Durgapur on the
periphery of Tadoba Andhari National Park, said his joy knew no bounds when he
got to know that state forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar was not only
impressed with this adorable picture but has also selected it to be used for
the stamp. Recalling the day, Bais said he was in the jungle for the morning
safari, when at around 9 am he saw tigress Maya crouching for a kill, igniting
the photographer in him with the hopes of capturing some action shots of
beautiful Maya on the hunt.
"Somehow the spotted deer in front of her were alerted and they
took to their heels, leaving Maya with a dejected look. We too were
disappointed and as we heard her growling faintly, her young one emerged from
the bushes. I was then looking for a perfect angle, and to my surprise, I saw
the cub standing on its hind paws and holding her mother with its front paws as
if almost consoling her," said Bais adding that even as he captured the
precious moment between the mother and her cubs even he could not help but get
emotional. According to the 36-year-old, who has been photographing tigers and
other wildlife for a decade now, his biggest moment for this image came when
Save the Tiger – a facebook page on tiger conservation, posted this photograph and it ended up
receiving more than 2.4 lakh likes and was shared by 24,000 people.
"The image was also published by Daily Mirror, UK. And what
gave me immense joy was that this image was presented by the forest minister to
various dignitaries including Union environment minister and also for pamphlets
of Tadoba national park," he said. "We had requested the Centre for a
postage stamp on Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, which is one of the oldest in
the country. We hope that this stamp will be released on July 29, on the
occasion of the World Tiger's Day," said Mungantiwar adding that the
beautiful image has a strong message on conservation and that he was happy to
know afterwards that this photograph was taken by Bais who happens to be his
neighbour in Chandrapur.
So,
the amazing picture of a tigress caressing her cub in Pandharpauni forests which
has been viral in social media and seen global newspapers will have the honour
of postal stamp too.
With
regards – S. Sampathkumar
29th July 2016. news and photo credit : Nagpur today.
29th July 2016. news and photo credit : Nagpur today.