November 2, 2023

Thursday, 11:00 PM

Naahar Bagh Rajbagh,

Panna District, 

Madhya Pradesh, 

India

The morning was beautiful today in terms of light conditions, and when we entered Panna Tiger Reserve for the morning safari, we saw the pugmarks that looked fresh even though there was no tiger in sight for a long time. We checked the area of P-151 just in case she was hanging around for us. No luck there. Later, we found that a very shy male tiger was sitting on the road. We went to the place he was said to be sitting, but as soon as we reached, he got up and left, like he terribly minded our presence. For all we know, he might have a particular dislike for human beings. He is too shy to stick around, we have been told, which is a nice way of saying that he hates the sight of human beings and wants nothing to do with them. This male tiger (P-621) is the father of the cubs P-151 is currently rearing, and has recently ceded the area to another male after a territory fight. 

We waited for P-621 for a bit but he kept sitting far away in the grass, where he had moved to; and only his eyes remained barely visible. And when most of the gypsies left, having realized that the tiger was not going to be any kinder to them, we were more hopeful that the tiger might now step out and show himself. He did step out, but not on our side. He slipped out through the other side, and we kept watching him leave, faces hung.

During the evening, we came across P-243, which was the highlight of the day (evening, more like. More about it tomorrow, for I am really tired after eight hours of safari — six hours in the morning and three in the evening — and the editing work on today’s Vlog is about to finish. So I’ll send this newsletter right after today upload. The remaining story of encountering P-243 I am keeping for tomorrow although there is not a great deal to it. But then, there might be other stories from tomorrow’s safaris. So there is every reason to stay tuned!