movie info: XVID 624x352 25.0fps 699.6 MB /SubEdit b.3945 (http://subedit.prv.pl)/
Most of us would agree that a tiger is one of the world's most beautiful creatures.
Sadly, in the wild, it's threatened with extinction.
But, fortunately, it breeds very well in captivity, as this little cub proves.
But is a tiger in a cage truly a tiger? I doubt it.
To see the true essence and beauty of a tiger, you have to see it in the wild.
And that's what this remarkable film shows us.
(ANIMAL AND BIRD CALLS)
This is the story of a tigress in the heart of India
and the challenges she faces while trying to raise a family.
Even a tigress walks a tightrope between success and failure.
Our tigress lives in Kanha National Park,
in the forests of Kipling's "Jungle Book",
where dawn elephant patrols
ensure this is one of the safest places for tigers in the world.
Year after year, these forest guards - called mahouts -
have followed our tigress's success in defending this prime territory,
an area of meadows and jungle with a constant supply of crystal-clear water.
The chief mahout is called Bir Singh.
Born and raised in these forests,
he's guarded our tigress since he found her as a young cub in 1986.
And despite her elusive nature,
he's able to find her secret hideaways.
He's named her Lakshmi, after the Hindu goddess of fortune.
She's defended this territory for many years because it's the key to success,
providing abundant prey and a safe hiding place for little cubs.
Lakshmi's cubs are about nine weeks old.
She has successfully raised several litters in the past,
and at 12 years of age is quite old for the demanding life of a wild tigress.
Kittens of this age need regular supplies of mother's milk
and lots of tender, loving care.
Over the years, Lakshmi has proved herself a devoted mother,
successfully looking after her litters of two or three cubs
until raised to independence.
Lakshmi is always alert to danger,
and alarm calls warn that a predator is on the prowl.
The most dangerous predator of them all is a male tiger.
This male is probably the father of Lakshmi's cubs, so is not a threat.
Though he doesn't help raise the cubs, his defence of this territory is vital.
If he ever loses his status as king of this part of the jungle,
his conqueror may try to kill Lakshmi's cubs.
Every young one is precious,
so mahouts keep account of successes and failures.
Male tigers tend to be very secretive.
They certainly don't like being followed.
(ROARING)
Males fight for territory so they can mate with several females.
Females defend territory for the food they provide.
Lakshmi's fertile meadows attract large herds of chital,
her favourite prey.
Over the years, Lakshmi has hunted in every corner of her territory
and knows the lie of the land well.
But chital are alert and fast,
so she must get close to them if she is to be able to feed the cubs.
Despite her years of experience and formidable acceleration,
Lakshmi fails all too often.
But with hungry cubs to feed, she never gives up.
But langur monkeys are her curse,
for they're known as "the eyes of the forest".
Like all the animals at Kanha, langurs are at ease with the mahouts.
But not with tigers.
Monkeys make Lakshmi's life difficult by warning deer of approaching danger.
Langurs actually attract deer by accidentally dropping food.
But if they choose to feed on the ground themselves, they're vulnerable.
0n her return to the cubs, she calls them from hiding
and, after her long absence, she comforts them.
Contact between mother and cubs transfers scent
and might help Lakshmi find them if they get lost.
Play is also important, and a dead langur makes a perfect toy.
The cubs are not yet old enough to eat meat,
but killing lessons can be fun.
The cubs are growing fast and need regular feeds,
so Lakshmi encourages them over for a drink.
Lakshmi has four teats, so there's no need for aggression at the milk bar.
But the cubs are a little careless with Mum's tender spots.
(SHE GROWLS)
Raising three cubs is demanding,
so Lakshmi's life is a relentless struggle
to patrol her territory, find prey and keep the family's hunger satisfied.
Her task is never-ending, but as the elephants have young of their own to feed,
midday is the time to end their patrol.
The mahouts live in the centre of the park.
Since 1930, when Kanha became a tiger reserve,
the village has been the park's headquarters.
The children are often taken into the forest.
Bir Singh's son hopes, one day, to become a mahout himself.
Living in the heart of prime tiger habitat,
these people respect and honour the big cats.
In fact, they look upon the tiger as the guardian of the forest.
The young elephants can enjoy a good feed from their mothers,
as they rest in the heat of the day.
Lakshmi has little time to rest.
Her cubs are growing and she must hunt more frequently.
If successful, she no longer takes the kill to the cubs,
but encourages them to start exploring her territory by leading them to the kills.
The cubs are about 14 weeks old now
and mature enough to tell that two are male and one female.
They're big enough to eat meat
and aggressive enough to defend their corner of the carcass.
(SNARLING)
The two brothers bully their sister so they get first bite.
And though Lakshmi allows the cubs to eat first,
she also applies the laws of the jungle if she wants a slice of the action.
(SHE GROWLS)
Lakshmi has proved her prowess as a mother many times.
Two of her daughters share part of her territory.
This daughter is known as the Churi female, after the valley she lives in.
These rare meetings are tense but amicable,
though Lakshmi's cubs are nervous about the stranger.
Once in a while, Lakshmi moves her cubs to where the deer haven't been alarmed.
Because there's plenty to share, Lakshmi can live alongside her daughters
in peaceful harmony.
Lakshmi finds hunting simpler now,
for it's the rutting season of the spotted deer.
(DEER BARKS)
(RETURNS CALL)
Rutting stags have mating on their minds
and are less alert to danger.
Lakshmi must avoid the thrashing antlers as she seeks the killing throat bite.
Then the stag must be dragged to where she's hidden the cubs.
She has to haul the stag to a shady place hidden from other tigers.
Then she can tell the cubs it's dinner time.
(LAKSHMI CALLS)
At four months old, the cubs' appetites are growing,
so Lakshmi provides much larger meals and always stays on guard when they're eating.
But she leaves it to the cubs to learn how to get through the tough wrapping.
The smaller female cub seems content to wait her turn,
leaving her brothers to make the breakthrough.
The family's progress is checked each day by the mahouts.
One advantage of Lakshmi's status as matriarch of the meadows
is that she has permanent water in her territory.
A place to cool off and play in the heat of midday.
Water is attractive to other animals at Kanha, too,
like the Indian wild dog.
Wild dogs are formidable predators and a real threat to the cubs,
so Lakshmi is taking no chances.
Just the sight of them makes the cubs nervous, instinctively sensing danger.
Wild dogs sometimes occur in packs of 40 or more.
Lakshmi would have trouble defending her family against a pack that size.
The dogs scour the forest for deer, which are their main prey,
and the chital know it.
The dogs' co-operative hunting creates confusion in the herd.
Once a victim is singled out, sharp teeth and powerful jaws will do the rest.
The dogs gorge as much as possible
before competition from scavengers becomes too intense.
Vultures gathering in the trees are a dead giveaway to other hungry eyes.
Reluctant to leave the cool of the pool,
Lakshmi decides she just has to investigate.
Even a tigress is not too proud to scavenge.
One or two wild dogs alone couldn't take on a tiger.
They have to retreat on her approach.
Given half a chance, Lakshmi would try to kill them.
(D0G HOWLS)
With the cubs already well fed, Lakshmi decides to keep the booty for herself.
There will be little left for the vultures waiting patiently above.
For weeks, the sun has been burning down from a cloudless sky.
Now it's the hottest time of the year.
With temperatures rising to more than 100 degrees in the shade,
life is uncomfortable.
Daily patrols continue, but the elephants struggle in the heat.
The grass has dried up and, driven by thirst,
the chital are forced to the shrinking waterholes -
normally dangerous places.
But sometimes it's too hot even for tigers.
(CRACK 0F THUNDER)
Relief is on the way.
It's mid-June and clouds are already gathering.
In only a matter of days, Kanha will be swamped by the monsoon.
(THUNDER ROLLS)
The rain creates problems for Lakshmi.
Not because she gets wet - her coat is too thick for that -
but because the deer become concentrated into enormous herds.
Many pairs of eyes make hunting more difficult.
The monsoon isn't continuous,
but comes in storms spread over three to four months.
The rains bring new life to Kanha.
Forest and grassland flourish, benefiting Lakshmi's prey.
The monsoon is not all good news for Lakshmi.
Rain washes away her territorial scent marks,
so she must expend extra energy patrolling and re-marking her boundaries.
The cubs are now six months old and bounding with energy.
But any parent knows this is also a mixed blessing.
Idyllic days of carefree childhood will one day come to an end.
But not yet, for the cubs still have months of fun to look forward to,
with Lakshmi caring for them until they are at least two years old.
Apart from the wild dogs, the only real threats that the family face
are human poaching and marauding male tigers.
Lakshmi can look to Kanha's park guards living in the village for protection from poachers.
But the mahouts can't interfere with an aggressive male
who wants to take over her territory.
So even tigers should be afraid of the dark.
With tigers at greater risk, teams of mahouts step up their dawn patrols.
And in such a large national park, they have a lot of ground to cover.
The mahouts sweep through the forest looking for any signs of poachers and tigers.
The muddy conditions make finding their footprints more likely.
Bir Singh is the first to find a tiger, a male, and he's been in a fight.
Wounds on the head and mouth suggest the fight was fierce.
He may be trying to take over the territory
from the father of Lakshmi's cubs.
(BIR SINGH TALKS ON RADIO)
Bir Singh is worried that Lakshmi might have been injured in the fight. His fears are realised.
Lakshmi walks awkwardly,
and the deep wound in her side was no doubt inflicted while defending her cubs.
But where are they?
A long search round the territory finds them again.
All are unhurt and in playful mood.
They're about seven months old now.
The female cub still gets bullied by her big brothers.
Despite her injuries, Lakshmi's devotion to her cubs is undiminished
and she remains on guard nearby.
So long as she's able to lick the wounds clean,
she should recover to full health.
But the cubs are having too much fun to notice her pain.
Though just playful contests,
the injuries to their mother show just how valuable these lessons might prove in later life.
With the cubs in danger from the new male,
Lakshmi takes them away from their usual territory.
No doubt her years of experience lead her to believe he will not follow them
into the hills around the meadow.
If he does, the dense cover will hopefully provide protection.
For the young cubs it's a different world,
full of mystery and new adventures.
Weeks later, the family are all still alive, the cubs fit and fat.
But Lakshmi still seems to be in pain and is less tolerant.
With Lakshmi injured and a dangerous male around,
the family vanishes into the safety of the bamboo thickets.
Lakshmi has never stayed away from her home patch for so long.
The mahouts are concerned, and with good cause,
for they find the most dramatic evidence that a new male is trying to take over.
This huge male has been killed in a fight.
He was almost certainly the father of Lakshmi's cubs.
A magnificent tiger and in his prime, about eight years old and ten feet long.
It must have been a violent battle.
There are several wounds over the body and one of its canine teeth has been ripped out.
The mahouts intensify their efforts to find Lakshmi and the cubs.
What they find is very disturbing.
This cub is only a few weeks old, so not one of Lakshmi's.
Tracks around the body prove it's been killed by a large male tiger.
The cub's mother has stayed close by and is very distressed.
She's one of Lakshmi's neighbours, and with such an aggressive male in the area,
Lakshmi and the cubs are in grave danger.
But when the mahouts find their tracks nearby, they are hopeful.
Bir Singh finds an even fresher pugmark and his hopes rise again.
But there is what he dreaded finding most.
Lakshmi has been in another fight and has even worse injuries than before.
Bir Singh counts eight deep wounds.
The battle to defend her cubs must have been horribly fierce.
Unable to hunt and provide for the cubs,
she limps off unsteadily into the forest.
Bir Singh decides to leave her in peace.
He never sees her again.
Her fight was not in vain.
The three cubs are still alive but hungry.
They still hope their mother will bring food.
Every rustle is a noise of hope.
At only a year old, their experience of hunting is limited.
But driven by hunger, they try to imitate their mother's stalking as best they can.
Perhaps instinct will do the rest.
It becomes clear that the female cub has learnt more about the basics of stalking
than her brothers.
When hunger gets the better of the boys, they break cover too soon
and a vital chance of a meal is lost.
Failure follows failure. Eventually, the cubs' tracks lead up into the hills.
No doubt they're looking for their mother.
The mahouts follow, but lose the cubs in the broken terrain,
and days of frantic searching follow.
Weeks later, there are still no signs of Lakshmi and the cubs.
The mahouts, hot and tired,
debate where they have looked and where else they might search.
It's a depressing discussion, for they feel they have looked everywhere.
With hope almost lost, they get a lucky break.
An alarm-calling monkey indicates a predator.
They waste no time in starting a new search.
The monkey's calls should lead them to the spot.
There, after weeks of searching, is one of Lakshmi's cubs.
Bir Singh recognises her immediately.
The spotty face-markings confirm it's the female cub.
The mahouts are so relieved to find one cub alive and well,
they name her Sundari, meaning, in Hindi, "Beautiful girl".
There's no sign of her mother or two brothers,
and the mahouts wonder how she's survived without them.
Scavenging could be the answer. She's sitting near a leopard that has just caught a stag.
Tigers and leopards are deadly competitors,
with the tiger usually the winner.
But this tiger is a little female cub
and the leopard a large adult male.
This could be dangerous.
Sundari is in two minds.
She's hungry, but the leopard is guarding its kill.
Racked with indecision and irritated by the langurs,
she tries to chase them off.
But she needs one or two climbing lessons from the leopard.
Sundari decides to leave the leopard to its meal
and heads back to the meadows where she was born.
She seems to walk aimlessly,
but ends up in the territory of Lakshmi's oldest daughter, the Churi female,
a half-sister to Sundari.
But danger is close by.
This family contains two huge male cubs of two years old,
and confrontations such as this can be violent.
But Sundari is naive, or is she driven by loneliness,
missing the companionship of her family?
The Churi female comes to investigate.
She doesn't know who the stranger is.
It's unusual for tigers to approach each other.
They're loners and try to avoid contact,
so Sundari is being provocative and is in danger.
(SHE SNARLS)
But she's still very young and in need of company.
The outcome is in the balance.
(SNARLING)
The Churi female is aggressive, but Sundari has the nerve to nose in even closer.
(GROWLING)
(AGGRESSIVE SNARLING)
Sundari decides to tough it out.
And in the weeks that follow, the Churi family accepts her.
She is a survivor in the hazardous world of the tiger,
and, in years to come, maybe she will raise as many cubs as Lakshmi.
Her mother and two brothers have not been seen again.
The mahouts don't know if they're still alive.
But at least Lakshmi's daughters are out there in the meadows, raising cubs of their own.
And the search for Lakshmi continues.
With careful protection, there's hope that Lakshmi and her cubs
and all future generations of tigers
will be safe to live out their exciting and sometimes dangerous lives.
And with unique places such as Kanha providing secure havens,
there is still hope that these wonderful cats
will survive in the wild for ever.
We have just been told that ten months after their disappearance,
Lakshmi and her cubs have been found alive and well.