Featured animal: Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
Photo credit: None
Location: Any cave in India, perhaps Bandhavgarh National Park.
This work is my composition of a tigress in a den with her 3 cubs. A tigress usually gives birth in a cave so that she can hide her cubs for safety while she goes out to hunt. I had to imagine this scene as it is very, very rare to photograph the family at this time due to the fact that she is very secretive and fierce in protecting her cubs and the location of her den. In fact, there are only one or two documented photographic series of this. Sir David Attenborough has narrated one video recording which was done with a spy camera mounted on an elephant.
The tiger cubs are playing and mock fighting with a male peninsular rock agama lizard that has found its way to their cave. These games help the youngsters to stay busy and to sharpen their hunting skills for adulthood. I have tried to recreate the alert expression of the mother in contrast to the innocence and fun of the cubs.
I have borrowed heavily from the paintings of Mr. David Stribbling, wildlife artist to compose this work.
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