If you were to do a story on the tiger and failed to spot a single specimen during the trip…this is probably how your desk would look like. A rusty old typewriter, crumpled mess of paper and a framed picture of the beast for inspiration

Report by : Ravleen Kaur
Photograph by: Meeta Ahlawat

He is Sita Prasad Shukla of Saitpur village. From him, I learnt about a wonder woman, a tea shop owner who, after the tiger was spotted in the area, sold many cups of tea and claimed that if the tiger had lived for another two months, she would have made enough to marry her daughter off

Report by : Ravleen Kaur
Photograph by: Meeta Ahlawat

“I have got more than 50 tigers killed in my life”, claims the 80-year-old Prem Bhallabh Chamwal. A former assistant to British shikaris including Jim Corbett, he adds,“ We would track the tiger, tie the bait, set the trap and do almost everything except pull the trigger”. The initial ideas of protected reserves and conservation were fostered from a need to provide for the hunting pleasures of the domestic royalty and the British

Report by : Ravleen Kaur
Photograph by: Meeta Ahlawat

Anil Kumar Singh of Wildlife Trust of India tests the camera trap to track the Kishanpur tiger. Camera traps identify the tigers through their stripes, which are their unique fingerprints. But, the film role has to be taken to Lakhimpur to take prints and a day is lost. In the meantime, the tiger shifts its location. Pugmarks seem better suited for daily monitoring than camera traps

Report by : Ravleen Kaur
Photograph by: Meeta Ahlawat

Inside Corbett at seven in the morning, we stood on tip-toes, strained every muscle in our body to spot the elusive creature but alas…
Five lakh tourists visit the park every year. The forest facilities suffice for only 200 visitors, the rest are serviced by the 40 odd private resorts which line the state highway in Dhilkuli, right outside the park boundary

Report by : Ravleen Kaur
Photograph by: Meeta Ahlawat