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NAGPUR: Tadoba’s legendary tigress Maya (T-12), who ruled the park for 13 years, is feared dead. Foresters who launched a combing operation to search for the missing tigress found a skeleton in compartment number 82 on Saturday morning.
The remains of a tiger skeleton scattered over a 100m radius were collected for DNA analysis by wildlife veterinarians and biologists for analysis.The body parts were in a very advanced stage of decomposition and not fit for autopsy.
Well-known wildlife cinematographer and filmmaker Subbiah Nallamuthu, who filmed Maya and contributed to TOI’s Tiger Anthem, said, “The body parts are of a tigress and it could be Maya. How it happened is a mystery but it could be a fallout of a territorial fight. Maya will always be in our memories.”
On October 6, TOI was the first to report on the missing tigress. The last sighting of Maya was on August 23 in the Panchdhara area near Tadoba Lake, when the park was shut during rains. When the park reopened on October 1, many tourists who visited Tadoba failed to see her for days together.
“The samples will be immediately sent for DNA analysis to National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, and will be matched with DNA samples of T-12 collected during an ongoing scientific study,” said Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar, conservator and field director, TATR.
Tadoba’s tigress charmed tourists, boosted revenue
Nandkishore Kale, deputy director (core), TATR, said, “DNA analysis reports are expected to arrive by November 30. Bones and other body parts were noticed by the team in the same territory occupied by T-12. The operation was launched by 150 field staffers on Thursday. In the last 3 days, we scanned 100 sq km of forest area.”
After the TOI report, the park on October 7, deployed nearly 150 camera traps in Kolara and Tadoba ranges, but not a single camera captured the tigress, forcing officials to fear Maya was dead.
“Ten different tigers (6 females and 7 males) were captured in her territory since October 7, but Maya was missing,” said Kale.
“T-12 must have been killed in a territorial fight with other tigresses Bijli and Roma, the two daughters of Chhoti Tara, who are currently ruling Maya’s turf. These felines were scouting for new territory and engaged in frequent skirmishes with T-12,” Kale told TOI.
Like Ranthambore’s Machli, Maya too was a celebrity dominating the Pandharpaoni area of Tadoba. She was born in December 2010 to a tigress, Leela and Hilltop Male. Since June 2014, T-12 has littered five times and contributed 13 cubs to the park. However, most of her cubs did not reach adulthood.
Local resort owners, and communities in the park were dependent on Maya for bolstering their fortunes.
Naturalist Himanshu Bagde, who followed Maya as a cub, said, “This is so heartbreaking. Till DNA reports come, I pretend to presume it is not Maya. The tigress brought TATR into the limelight, especially at a time when tiger reserves like Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Ranthambore, and MP Pench ruled.”
“Maya drew tourists to Tadoba with her queen-like traits and on-your-face approach. The tigress ushered a boom to wildlife tourism which was lacklustre prior to 2010. Maya alone has generated around 100 million dollars for the park in the last decade,” said Bagde.
Wildlife buff Nikhil Abhyankar says, “It is painful news. Post DNA check, we expect the department to give an honorable farewell to the Queen of Tadoba.”
The remains of a tiger skeleton scattered over a 100m radius were collected for DNA analysis by wildlife veterinarians and biologists for analysis.The body parts were in a very advanced stage of decomposition and not fit for autopsy.
Well-known wildlife cinematographer and filmmaker Subbiah Nallamuthu, who filmed Maya and contributed to TOI’s Tiger Anthem, said, “The body parts are of a tigress and it could be Maya. How it happened is a mystery but it could be a fallout of a territorial fight. Maya will always be in our memories.”
On October 6, TOI was the first to report on the missing tigress. The last sighting of Maya was on August 23 in the Panchdhara area near Tadoba Lake, when the park was shut during rains. When the park reopened on October 1, many tourists who visited Tadoba failed to see her for days together.
“The samples will be immediately sent for DNA analysis to National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, and will be matched with DNA samples of T-12 collected during an ongoing scientific study,” said Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar, conservator and field director, TATR.
Tadoba’s tigress charmed tourists, boosted revenue
Nandkishore Kale, deputy director (core), TATR, said, “DNA analysis reports are expected to arrive by November 30. Bones and other body parts were noticed by the team in the same territory occupied by T-12. The operation was launched by 150 field staffers on Thursday. In the last 3 days, we scanned 100 sq km of forest area.”
After the TOI report, the park on October 7, deployed nearly 150 camera traps in Kolara and Tadoba ranges, but not a single camera captured the tigress, forcing officials to fear Maya was dead.
“Ten different tigers (6 females and 7 males) were captured in her territory since October 7, but Maya was missing,” said Kale.
“T-12 must have been killed in a territorial fight with other tigresses Bijli and Roma, the two daughters of Chhoti Tara, who are currently ruling Maya’s turf. These felines were scouting for new territory and engaged in frequent skirmishes with T-12,” Kale told TOI.
Like Ranthambore’s Machli, Maya too was a celebrity dominating the Pandharpaoni area of Tadoba. She was born in December 2010 to a tigress, Leela and Hilltop Male. Since June 2014, T-12 has littered five times and contributed 13 cubs to the park. However, most of her cubs did not reach adulthood.
Local resort owners, and communities in the park were dependent on Maya for bolstering their fortunes.
Naturalist Himanshu Bagde, who followed Maya as a cub, said, “This is so heartbreaking. Till DNA reports come, I pretend to presume it is not Maya. The tigress brought TATR into the limelight, especially at a time when tiger reserves like Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Ranthambore, and MP Pench ruled.”
“Maya drew tourists to Tadoba with her queen-like traits and on-your-face approach. The tigress ushered a boom to wildlife tourism which was lacklustre prior to 2010. Maya alone has generated around 100 million dollars for the park in the last decade,” said Bagde.
Wildlife buff Nikhil Abhyankar says, “It is painful news. Post DNA check, we expect the department to give an honorable farewell to the Queen of Tadoba.”
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