Madhya Pradesh is a state that abounds in amazing tiger population. Some of the tigers are also named and are most popular than you can imagine. If you contact a tour operator in Madhya Pradesh, you will be surprised to see the tigers who are the celebrities of this state; they awestruck their visitors with their charming personality, aristocratic nature and sprightly exuberance.
Some of the tigers that have been in the spotlight in the past are Munna, Bheema, Rajaram and among the females include Neelam, Mahavir, Dhwajhandi and most recently is Collarwali, a 13-year-old tigress residing in Pench Tiger Reserve.
The reason why Collarwali has grabbed the limelight is that she has given birth to four cubs in the last week of January,2019. Reproducing offsprings is considered to be the ultimate role of a female but the fact that has made Collarwali more popular is that at her present age of 14 years, she has given birth to a total of 29 cubs in different litters in the last ten years. The forest officials hold this as a rare record because an average feline’s lifespan is 14-15 years and Collarwali has performed the role of a female exceptionally well at this age by giving birth to four cubs this year.
In terms of beauty and health, Collarwali is beyond words- she looks great with no sign of old age or infirmity. With her present health condition, forest officials have said that she could make a record by surviving beyond 20 years and still give birth to younger ones.
According to Vikram Singh Parihar, field director, “ There is no doubt about the beauty of the tigress. Its eyes and walk sway all. At the (current) age of 14, this big cat has given birth, which itself is the most pleasant surprise. The tigress is a prolific breeder and a cub-raiser.” Previously, this beautiful tigress has given birth to 25 cubs in seven different litters and 21 cubs out of 25 stays in this reserve.
Going back to Collarwali’s history, she was born in September 2005 to tiger ‘Charger’ and tigress ‘Badimata’. She was given the name ‘Collarwali’ which is a Hindi word meaning ‘The Collared One’. The ‘queen of Pench’ draws a large number of tourist from all around the world, every year and brings in huge revenue for the Pench Tiger Reserve. The tourists are lured to visit Pench Tiger Reserve to witness the majestic beauty of this tigress and admire her young children. The great surge in the tiger population is a great way to compensate for the loss of 28 tigers in the last few months. The tourists have recently spotted the tigress enjoying her motherhood with her cubs and all of them are in good health conditions.
Did you know? Collarwali’s mother, Barimada, has also featured in BBC network’s popular documentary named ‘Spy in the Jungle’. Collarwali is also the first cub among her siblings to demarcate her own territory in the core area of her mother’s range. So it can be said that being a ‘supermom’ runs in the genes!
Collarwali first gave birth to three cubs in the year 2008. But unfortunately, out of inexperience, she couldn’t nurse efficiently when her cubs suffered from pneumonia and they died. Again in the same year, she littered four more cubs and this time they all survived. From 2008-2013, this magnificent tigress has given birth to 18 cubs and 14 of them survived. In addition, Collarwali is as famous as ‘Machhli’ of Ranthambore in Rajasthan, another feline who died in August 2016 and was known to be the world’s oldest big cat.
According to the last tiger count in 2014, the population of the tigers was between 35 and 49. And now Panna Tiger Reserve is home to more than 60 tigers.