Tiger is one creation which evokes varying emotions in you. I know of no other species, or landscape that can achieve this so consistently. At the onset let me share that every tiger sighting will increase your heartbeat, impact your body temperature, and leave you wanting to scream, cry, and hug someone, all simultaneously.
Watching a tiger in a movie, gives no impression of the size, presence, and impact of this largest felid. Measuring 10 feet from head to tail, weighing 250kgs in a clean and shining winter coat makes this the most loving, envying, thrilling yet terrifying experience all simultaneously.
Actually, there are different types of tiger sightings, you may refer to same in my blog here. So, the top 5 human emotions which you may experience when you sight a tiger are:
Joy and Surprise
The first of the top 5 human emotions is joy and surprise. More often than not the tiger will suddenly emerge in your frame. Yes, the purpose of your safari mostly is to see the tiger, but one can never anticipate when that moment will arrive during the safari. The tiger sightings are mostly sudden. Hence, there is always a surprise element and you see it from a distance so there is a joy element to it too.
Love
If you are a wildlife enthusiast in general, love is definitely one of the top 5 emotions you experience while sighting a Tiger. The big cat is an enigma that we read about in books. We know that he is the supreme cat, and an apex predator. But there is a side of his which is not written much about and that is the motherly love and care. Seeing a tigress her cubs will leave you wanting to pick them up and take them home. If you are lucky enough to see such a sighting you will witness a blurry vision for you have teared up seeing pure love.
Thrill
It is not often that you will see a tiger chasing down a prey. Very few are fortunate to witness the whole sequence. How a tiger in ambush focusses on the prey, waits patiently, and at the right moment sprints at the unsuspecting prey. The whole episode is nothing less than a thrilling tiger sighting. You will have a split thought process, one will say that the tiger should get his food, second that the prey gets away with his life. His efficiency is inspirational and a tiger is indeed the most sophisticated engine of destruction, hence the chase and kill is a thrilling moment.
Envy
Tigers are known to mate 5-6 times every hour, for about 2-3 days. Something that the mankind envies.
Fear
There are two types of tiger sightings that will arouse this emotion.
- First, being a witness to two dominant male tigers in a territorial fight. You have to be unduly fortunate to be at the spot of the tiger’s fight, the best tiger sighting one could have asked for. The mighty roars when the tigers stand up on their hind legs, punching with open claws. It is a bloody fight which sends chills down the spine of the spectators. Hearing a tiger roar during a fight is the most terrifying sound in the jungle. It has to be heard to be appreciated. Some even call it blood curdling sound, more so if it happens to resonate in a thick sal-terai forest.
- The second sighting which you must be unfortunate to see is a rare tiger charge at your safari vehicle. The chances of such a sight are almost improbable. They may happen in lesser known parks where the tigers are not used to tourism. Sometimes the sub-adult tigers also charge to show they are big tigers. These are mostly mock charges. A blooded roaring charge of a tiger is something to narrate an umpteen number of times to your friends and family in your lifetime. It is a sense of achievement that you will live to tell tales of. This is also what I would call the Tiger sighting of a lifetime.
Now, do you agree that it is only a tiger that can give rise to the top 5 human emotions on sight? Join one of our safaris to experience at least two emotions out of the five. If you carry your luck, then maybe more as well.
Best wishes
Sharad Vats
Born and brought up in New Delhi, it was Sharad’s childhood passion to play cricket for India. While on a holiday in 1990, he saw his first tiger. Little did he know that this one sighting would immerse him into a realm where forests and tigers were all that mattered.
Sharad’s experiences as a wildlife photographer have inspired him to observe the tiger’s behavior for over 30 years and motivated him on his own journey as an entrepreneur. He started Nature Safari India Pvt Ltd, with a focus on “Conservation through Tourism.” to align himself to the mission of saving the regal species and repopulating them in India’s forests. In 2006, he set up one of India’s premier jungle lodges in Kanha National Park.
Sharad believes that there are many lessons to be learned from a tiger that can be applied successfully to leadership—both in business and in life. Here’s a new book by Sharad Vats on management and leadership skills to learn from a Tiger.
