From Jungle Legends to Fierce Mothers: 5 ‘Celebrity’ Tigers Who Left Their Mark on India’s Forests

Featured image courtesy: memoirs.blog

Every forest has its legends, and in India, they roar. From deep within the mangroves of the Sundarbans to the riverbanks of Corbett and the lakes of Ranthambore, tigers have ruled not just territories but hearts.

A century ago, there were over 40,000 wild tigers in the country. Then came decades of poaching, shrinking forests, and disappearing prey. By 1973, only 268 tigers remained, on the verge of vanishing into memory. But India fought back.

Through one of the world’s most ambitious wildlife efforts, ‘Project Tiger’ and a growing public passion for big cats, that number has slowly climbed back to 3,682 as of the latest census in 2022.

But numbers are just one part of the story. Tigers aren’t just statistics in a graph—they are mothers, fighters, wanderers, and rulers. This International Tiger Day, we celebrate their legacy — not just of survival, but of wild, untamed spirit — in iconic photos.

1. Machli: Ranthambore’s queen

Machli was born in 1997 in Ranthambore and reigned for 19 long years. Famous for killing a 14-foot crocodile in a dramatic face-off, she raised 11 cubs across five litters, becoming the grandmother of Ranthambore’s tiger line.