MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

India mourns death of 'Super Mom' tigress who gave birth to 29 cubs!

The tigress named as Collarwali reportedly died at the age of 16

People in India are mourning the death of a very famous tigress, named Collarwali. The “Super Mom” tigress had given birth to 29 cubs in her lifetime and out of which 25 have lived. She was 16 and reportedly died of age-related ailments. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests PCCF (Wildlife), Alok Kumar, said, “Usually, it is an organ failure like in the case of humans. However, the exact cause will be ascertained following a post-mortem.”

The tigress was also called T-5 and Om Veer. A naturalist and wildlife photographer at Pench – a national park in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh – told The Indian Express that she was last seen inside the national park on January 14 when she came at the Bhura dev nalla to drink water. “She came to the water stream and was so weak that she could barely walk. She rested near the stream and did not move for around 2 hours. At that point, there were 42 vehicles inside Pench and all of them saw her,” he added.

READ MORE

Cop kills rare Malayan tiger Eko in Florida zoo after it grabbed man who tried to PET HIM

Male tiger at London zoo mauls intended female mate to death as staff helplessly tried to separate the two animals

Soon after that, she was taken to the hospital for treatment, but couldn’t be saved as she died Saturday evening, January 15. Collarwali was reportedly born to tiger T-1, also known as Charger and tigress T-7, called Bari mada, in 2005. Dr Aniruddha Majumdar, a scientist who had observed Collarwali for years for his research in breeding and cub raising, said: “Collarwali was the first one among the other cubs to move out and live with her father T-1, who was one of the most dominating tigers of Pench. Much like him, Collarwali dominated the prey rich area of the tiger reserve and held a distinguished record of giving birth to 5 cubs in a litter in October 2010.”

He went on to say, “A tiger does not generally live beyond 12 years as it becomes difficult for them to defend their territory. However, in the case of Collarwali, she dominated the prey-rich base of the core zone in Pench, raising her cubs there. But, over the years, she was injured seriously while defending her territory,” before stating, “On May 20, 2008, we spotted her with three cubs. This was her first litter but none of them survived. On October 25 the same year, she gave birth to four cubs — three males and one female — and raised them successfully.”

Dr Majumdar noted that over the years, the tigress became a mother to 29 cubs. “The glory of Collarwali still lives on as one of her cubs, a tigress, who was relocated to Panna tiger reserve, has also given birth to five cubs in one litter. Other male cubs of Collarwali now dominate Pench and its adjoining territory in Maharashtra as well. She is the pride of Madhya Pradesh,” he added.

Meanwhile, a lot of people took to Twitter to remember Collarwali. A user shared, “The Glory of #Collarwali - The #Pench Tigress.... Ruled for 16 years, Mother of 29 cubs She was last spotted on January 14, when she had come to drink water at her usual spot at the Bhura dev nalla. She rested near the stream. The last pics of her last rites.” Another user tweeted, “Goodbye collarwali, you have give us so much joy.” “End of an Era. The legendary Collarwali aka Mataram passed away yesterday due to old age. She was one of the most iconic tigress of india. With 8 litters and 29 cubs she helped Pench Tiger Reserve MP gain it's glory. Alas she's no more. Images Monu Dubey Pench,” a tweet added.

Disclaimer: This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.