WhatsApp Image 2024-11-28 at 10.23.01.jpeg

# Saving the Tiger **Before You Read** "Tigers, except when wounded or when man-eaters, are on the whole very good-tempered... Occasionally a tiger will object to too close an approach to its cubs or to a kill that it is guarding. The objection invariably takes the form of growling, and if this do...

# Saving the Tiger **Before You Read** "Tigers, except when wounded or when man-eaters, are on the whole very good-tempered... Occasionally a tiger will object to too close an approach to its cubs or to a kill that it is guarding. The objection invariably takes the form of growling, and if this does not prove effective it is followed by short rushes accompanied by terrifying roars. If these warnings are disregarded, the blame for any injury inflicted rests entirely with the intruder." Discuss in class what these lines make you think about: 1. Tigers 2. Intruders 3. The writer. **Jim Corbett** 1. I was nineteen when I saw my first tiger in the wild, and it was every bit as thrilling as I had imagined. I was in the Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, seated on a young tame elephant that was barely six feet tall. The elephant and its teenage *mahout* were being trained to track tigers by more experienced trackers on much larger elephants. I sat behind the boy mahout and hung on to a rope as the elephant struggled up a steep slope amidst thick bamboo. Suddenly, a flash of orange caught my eye. There, beside the narrow path, sat a handsome young tiger. For a heart-stopping moment, our eyes met in mutual surprise. The tiger was so close that it could have easily leapt onto our elephant and pulled us down, but it just sat there calmly, looking at us with curiosity. Then, as my elephant climbed to the top of the slope, the striped cat faded from view. * *mahout*: a person who works with, rides and looks after an elephant * *endangered*: facing the risk of becoming extinct—not existing anymore (When a very large number of animals of a particular kind are killed or disappear from a place where they are naturally found, so that there is a very sharp decrease in their population, they are said to be endangered.) Since that day several decades ago, I've had many close encounters with wild tigers during my career as a wildlife filmmaker, but that first glimpse will always remain special. **Despite its status as National Animal**, the tiger is highly endangered, and only about 3,000 survive in our forests. According to Dr K Ullas Karanth, a leading tiger expert. **Activity 1** Find out if the figures in paragraph 2 have changed. *Note: The image also includes a small box with additional information below "Activity 1" and a QR code which are not included in the response.*