A Legendary Tigress Who Ruled the Ranthambore National Park:
Finally, she rests in peace on 17th August 2016 after ruling the Ranthambore National park for almost two decades. The legendary tigress Machli (T-16) at last ended her love affair with the forest of the Ranthambore tiger reserve and succumbed to her old age, leaving the forest officials, tour guides and naturists of Ranthambore deeply grieved with her death. Her fan page on social media was filled with the emotional outburst of grieved fans. Yes, she was such a celebrity that her demise stirred the emotions of wildlife enthusiasts in all over the world. Wildlife photographers and tourists who had a rendezvous with her in their Ranthambore tour shared their pictures of this amazing tigress on social media. The tiger was properly cremated after the death by the Hindu rituals in a public ceremony just like any family member of the park officials.
Even, the Chief Minister of the Rajasthan State Vasundhara Raje Scindia had expressed her condolences through the Twitter-
She Was The Celebrity Not Less Than A Film Star...
Machli or Machhli, as she was called due to the fish-like mark on her face, was the most celebrated tigress not only in India but in the entire world. She was the most photographed tigress and several documentaries directly or indirectly based on her along with an Indian postage stamp on her name. She has also a Life Time Achievement Award in her name due to her contribution to the Wildlife of Rajasthan and even got a fan page on Facebook. She has garnered many titles to her credit such as 'Lady of the Lakes', 'ueen Mother of Tigers', 'Ma Machli', 'Queen of Ranthambore' and 'rocodile Killer'. She was the world's oldest living tiger in the wild at the time she died, she was 20 yrs old. Out in the wild, tigers will live on an average for 10 to 15 years; however, the queen of the Ranthambore has managed to survive till 19 yrs of age.
She Has Earned Her Celebrity Status...
As her legends spread all over the world, the iconic figure of Machli became the symbol of tiger conservation in India. She was responsible for the strengthening the fragile population of tigers in the westernmost part of India. A whopping number of more than 50 tigers in Ranthambore tiger reserve are from her bloodline, which includes her own 11 cubs from the three tigers. Eventually almost half of the tiger population in Ranthambore and Sariska National Park are from her lineage. It is said that she was generating approx $10 million of revenue every year through the tourism and contributed a lot to the local economy. She was considered as the 'Godmother' to the entire reserve due to her contribution to the reserve. Many stories of her fierce nature and braveness prevailed among the wildlife lovers. She was the master of hunting, very daring and never hesitated to indulge in a fight with much larger animals than her.
She Was Not Just An Average Child...
Born in a litter of three females, Machli was the dominant cub among the three siblings. She also started hunting on her own very early at the age of 2 years and later took over her mother's territory. She was known for her amazing hunting skills and unmatched strength, which makes her the queen of the Ranthambore forest. She shot to fame when fought with a 14-foot long mugger crocodile much larger in size than her and killed it after a long fight. However, in that fight, she lost her two canine teeth, which is very important for a tiger to hunt. Even after losing her canines, she survived in the wild by changing her hunting skill and also raised her many cubs without any hassle. However, it is said that in her old age forest officials sometimes used to provide her baits to ensure she gets her food. She has an amazing surviving instinct and also known as a protecting and caring mother. She was very ferocious in protecting her cubs from any threats, may it be a male tiger or any other wild animal.
Loved Immensely by Wildlife Enthusiasts...
Thousands of wildlife enthusiasts from all over the world used to visit daily at the Ranthambore National Park to get a glimpse of this iconic and most famous tigress of the modern era. Machli was the most photographed tigress in the world and she was highlighted in the numerous documentaries based on wildlife. A 50-minute documentary titled 'Tiger Queen' based on her life was aired on the National Geographic Channel and Animal Planet channels. Also, an episode named 'Queen of Tigers: Natural World Special' was aired on the BBC's Natural World depicting the story of Machli. Furthermore, the Indian government had issued a postal cover and stamp to tribute this legendary tigress for her ecological and economical contributions. She was such a big crowd-puller and a celebrity tigress that not only the wildlife lovers, but even the Rajasthan government didn't want to lose her so the forest officials used to keep a tab on her well-being. Once in early 2014, she was not spotted for about a month spreading a panic among forest officials who speculated her death as she was ill before disappearing and that ignited a search by more than 200 forest staff but soon she emerged from the dense forest in good health.
Undoubtedly, her beauty, grace and attitude cannot be forgotten by anyone who has witnessed her in her prime age when she ruled the most of the Ranthambore forest. She was such a confident and fearless tigress with having no fear of the safari jeeps as she often strolled between them and tourists capture her elegance in their cameras.