K-ART TV's video: Tadoba Tiger Tales: The Great Matkasur Tiger Show a few days before the pandemic in TATR safari

We were part of the last few safaris before the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve was closed down owing to coronavirus lockdown. It was hot and humid during the day but the evenings were pleasant. We were able to see Matkasur and this is perhaps the only video of Matkasur shot just before the coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic in India. This is as close as you can get to wildlife or a wild animal. Matkasur-The Great King of Tadoba Matkasur. The very name attracts attention, curiosity. Sighting Matkasur in the forests of Tadoba will numb your body and you will immediately realise that he is indeed the numero uno of these forests and commands respect. His walk, his stare, twitching of his alert ears, locking of eyes on a prey or another tiger, his stalking pose- all testimonial traits of this mighty king. But these alone do not signify his successful reign over the forests of Tadoba. Survival stories of tigers, given the odds they fight against and rare sightings, make it all more intriguing and overwhelming. A male tiger is usually admired and revered for its size, aggression and winning over other males. The usual territorial aggression personifies typical characteristics of typical tiger. For instance, Charger in Bandhavgarh or Fateh in Ranthambore. In a truest sense, Matkasur has not shown extreme aggression nor can he be termed as large. Then how has he been the king of Tadoba and ruled for five years? It is said that he had come from the outskirts of Tadoba forests as a young tiger looking for territory of his own. Through confirmed sources, we know that Matkasur has fatally mauled a forest worker in an unfortunate incident several years ago. Arguably, unwritten jungle rules were not followed and perhaps Matkasur’s behaviour was misread. This may also have contributed to a certain fear and respect for Matkasur among serious wildlife experts. As they say, the purpose of a war is to bring peace. Thankfully, authorities did not intervene much except for watching him closely. The mystery unravelled itself and here was a tiger who was smart and chose his battles wisely. The result is that he may not have won all battles but has always won the war. The war here is that of survival. Survival of the fittest. Matkasur has been successful due to his tact and guile in engaging with other tigers. He has used controlled aggression to its best and in the process not only ousted several male tigers but also mated with all tigresses over a large area. Maya, Choti Tara and some of the tigresses in the buffer area around Moharli all know Matkasur well. Never before has it been documented for two large tigers to co-exist. That is, Matkasur and his son, Chotta Matkasur. It’s a different matter now that Chotta Matkasur has gone beyond the Navegoan side in search of territory even as he keeps visiting the Moharli area. Matkasur has fought the likes of the huge Gabbar and Tyson and ousted them. He also sent a male from Shivanzari scuttling and drove him to the Mamla buffer zone. His victorious and ritualistic circling around of crouched, overpowered opponent tigers have been done one too many times. And he will not stop this assertion of his dominance. In the more recent battles, he has fought a new male, Rudra, that’s come from the Kolsa range. Rudra, being younger has claimed some area and has also mated with the enchanting Maya who is due to give birth around April 2020. Matkasur has now a smaller territory. But knowing him, he will wait for his opportunities. Only those who travel regularly and spy in the jungle can get good footages! Its heartening to know that owing to the Lockdown in the wake of Covid 19 Pandemic, TATR authorities have decided to telecast the daily updates of TATR through the Youtube Channel (TATR 4K Live). What a wonderful thing to do by the autorities!