The Diva of the tigers

A matriarch to a population of sixty, the "Tiger Queen" to The National Geographic Channel, Machali 1(Machali the First) was the most popular tiger of her time. Not because she was in a National Park, but for her contribution in raising the ecological balance of the Bengal Tigers. She remains a Diva, with the status of the highest photographed tigress.

Machali I. Image Source: Newsnationtv.

Machali I, probably born in 1996, was the strongest in a litter of three females. She learned hunting at the age of two and soon took over her mother’s territory. Initially named T-16, Machali I inherited her mother’s name(Machali) for they both shared a fish-shaped mark on the left side of their face. Her unique identity was a fork-shaped mark on her left cheek.

In normal cases, a tigress has two to three litters in its lifetime. But Machali was different. Over seven years, she had four litters and gave birth to eleven cubs. Four of them were males while seven of them were females. These offspring have increased the tiger population of the country. Even Machali lived a long life compared to any Royal Bengal tiger living in the wild. She died at the age of 19.

In 2008, Ranthambore National Park handed two of her female cubs to the Sariska Tiger Reserve. They are the main reason for a boost in the tiger population in Sasrika.

She reigned in a 350-mile territory within the National Park and, at times had to defend it from much larger male tigers. She received grand acclamations, also, because she bravely fought and killed a 14-foot crocodile. She lost her canine in the fight but became more famous after it.

Machali died of sickness in old age in August 2016. The Rangers and Officials did not treat her later on as providing medications could be fatal at an old age. She was cremated with Hindu rituals in a public ceremony. Though Machali has left for her heavenly abode, she did leave behind a legacy. The legacy of Bengal Tigers, which at one point of time became almost extinct.

Had there been any tiger society, Machali would have been the Page-3 girl. She remains to be the most photographed tigress in the world! She has never been camera-shy and would always flaunt her beauty in front of the tourist jeeps. The conservationists at Ranthambore have granted her the title of being “tourist-friendly”.

The wildlife enthusiasts have created various documentaries on her. According to government records, she alone has contributed over 10 million $ per annum for ten years towards tourism in Rajasthan. For this, the Government of India issued a commemoration postal cover and stamp in 2013 recognizing her contribution to uplifting Indian ecology and economy.

She has also won the “Lifetime Achievement Award” of Travel Operators For Tigers because of her contribution towards conservation as well as tourism.

Towards the end of her life, Machali lost all her teeth. She also became blind in one eye and lost most of her strength. Once, she got lost for two months. Even though she was well fed by the officials in the Park, she took to hunting. It took the officers many search parties to finally find her.

During old age, she was driven away from her territory by her daughter Sundari. The staff members began feeding her from that time onwards and this might be one reason for which she survived much longer than normal tigers.

Her last few years have been captured by the filmmaker S Nallamuthu in a film titled “The World’s Most Famous Tiger” which also contains a short two-minute clip of the mother-daughter turf, just before Sundari claimed her territory and drove her mother away.

Machali fighting the crocodile. Image Source: Ranthambore National Park

Officials perform Machali’s last rites. Image Source: Dailypioneer