The heat is scorching in Tadoba National Park. Water is scarce, and the tiger, over all animals, is supposed to reign supreme.
Only a few dozen tigers roam this 30,000-acre reserve in central India, according to the Hindustan Times. Yet they dominate the coveted water holes, where barking deer and hyena packs must come to drink. Even humans have to respect the laws of nature in this park. Last year, the Times reported, a tiger crossed paths with an unwary ranger and killed him on the spot.
So it was with natural caution Wednesday afternoon that safari guide Akshay Kumar led a group of tourists to the edge of a water hole called Jamun Bodi, which he knew to be the marked territory of the tiger called Matkasur.