occasion a tiger battled with a crocodile over a sambar carcass and finally
took possession of it in broad daylight, after a long fight. It was generally
believed that tigers arc solilary creatur'eS and only the mal her's tllk care of
their cubs so long as these are unable to care for themselves, and tigresses
with cubs were seen only rarely. Here too their behavior seems to have
undergone a change. In 1986, two tiger families, one with two cubs and
another with three, have been extremely trusting of human presence in jeeps
and have been observed for long stretches of time in jungle clearings in broad
daylight, even when the cubs were but a few weeks old. The family with three
cubs includes a large male which seems to have chosen to live with the cubs
without being aggressive. In fact, this male is also seen with another tigress in
the same Bakaula nala region from time to time. Because of such tiger
activities, Ran–thambore is probably the best park in which to photograph
them. In recent times it has become a center of attraction for wildlife
photographers from all over the world. Sighting a tiger can never be a sure
shot, but here one comes as close to it as is possible. Other Predators: This
park also has a large population of panthers which are the second largest
predators of this forest. The prey species of tigers and panthers overlap, and
because of possible conflicts between them, the latter are found more often
on the periphery of the park. Kachida valley accounts for the highest number
of sightings of these cats. They do not appear to be as fearlessly diurnal as
tigers have become and therefore their sightings are not as frequent. Another
interesting feature of the park is the visibility of marsh crocodiles in and
around the lakes. Over the years, their number has increased and these
reptiles, eight to 10 feet (2Y2-three meters) in length, are not uncommon.
They are easily seen in the water or basking on the shores of the lakes. Often
they are seen crossing from one lake to another. Interestingly, they eat dead
sam bar on land and try to drag the carcass into the water, even during
daylight hours. Other predators in Ranthambore are hyenas, jackals and
jungle cats. Caracal too have been recorded. The last sighting of wild dogs
was way back in 1954; it is not known why they have disappeared from these
forests completely. Ranthambore has sloth bears which one may encounter
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