There are countless forest streams and rivulets that criss-cross the Bhabhar landscape, bordering the Shivalik mountain ranges. Together, the Shivaliks and Bhabhar form the very foothills of the mighty Himalayas. These water channels drain excess water out of the mountains during the rainy season and for the remaining part of the year, some remain perennial, while most dry up.
Tigers have great need of water and especially during the summer months, they prefer to stay close to water sources. This is also the time of the year when territorial fights over water sources among tigers are common. Having migrated from the cold Siberian north, during the last ice age, the tiger is the only cat in the world that sits in water to cool itself during the hot and humid conditions of the tropical summer and monsoon. A tigress with a litter of cubs would like to stay close to a water source as this saves the cubs from being exposed to the danger of a long march in search of water. Moreover, all prey animals end up coming to the water, when water is not easily available.
On a recent safari with the lodge guests, our Chief Naturalist Manoj Sharma came across this tigress walking across an open riverbed.
Tigress on the riverbed
