These visuals were recorded last week as part of the ongoing tiger census.
There's excitement at the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu's Erode district after camera traps captured rare images of a tigress escorting five of her cubs in the thick of night.
Forest officials say these visuals were recorded last week as part of the ongoing tiger census across the country.
Speaking to NDTV, the DFO of the Hasanur Forest Division, Ms C H Padma said, "It's perhaps the first time in Tamil Nadu we have spotted a tigress with five cubs. We attribute this to our 150 strong anti-poaching watchers drawn from surrounding villages".
In a statement the Field Director Mr Anwardeen says "This is a clear indication that the tiger population in this area has risen and we seek continued public support and cooperation".
The Sathyamangalam Forests was declared as a Tiger Reserve only in last December. Earlier estimates had put the population of the big cats in this jungle between 25 and 28.