Affectionately known as “Supermom” India’s most famous tigress has died, sparking widespread grief across the country.
She was given the nickname after giving birth to 29 cubs during her lifetime.
The tigress unfortunately died of old age complications at the Pench Tiger Reserve in central India where she lived. Park chief Ashok Kumar Mishra announced the unfortunate news on Saturday evening, adding that the colossal feline was more than 16 years old.
She was also known as Collarwali – a Hindi word highlighting that she was the first big cat to be radio-collared at the reserve, in 2008.
Mishra said:
“It is rare for a tigress to give birth to 29 cubs, including five in one go, and successfully raise 25, this perhaps earned her the title of Supermom among wildlife lovers,
Elegant and graceful, sightings of the cat were highly sought after by visitors to Pench and she is described as the most photographed tiger in the world, according to local media reports.
Photographs from the reserve show a number of locals attending the cremation of Collarwali’s body, which was carried out in accordance with Hindu rites. Some held garlands while others watched on in visible grief.
Those who couldn’t attend took to social media to post tributes and pay their respects to the beloved “Supermom”.
State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Twitter:
“Tribute to the ‘Super Tigress Mom’…The forests of Madhya Pradesh will always resonate with the roar of the cubs of the ‘Queen of Pench Tiger Reserve’,”
Wildlife experts say Collarwali played a vital role in maintaining the tiger population in Pench, which is home to more than 130 tigers.
India is home to approximately 75 percent of the world’s tiger population and its conservation efforts have been fairly successful, with a 2018 census counting 2,967 of these endangered big cats.