Throwback: Tigress That Repopulated Madhya Pradesh Park With 13 Cubs

An old photo of a tigress and its cubs surfaced on the Internet after she died at Madhya Pradesh's Panna Tiger Reserve on Tuesday. The tigress, T1, who had given birth to 13 cubs, was brought to the reserve as part of a reintroduction programme. In the picture, shared by Indian Forest Services (IFS) officer Parveen Kaswan on Twitter, the tigress is seen lying on the ground and nursing her cubs.

“When Panna Tiger Reserve lost all its tigers. T1 was first female to be introduced in 2009 for recovery programme. She delivered 13 cubs and now Panna Tiger Reserve is abode of tigers once again. T1 took her last breath this week leaving a big family,” the caption read.

The IFS officer, in a subsequent tweet, shared that the photo was taken by a monitoring team back in 2010. He said that the team witnessed the birth of tigers at the Panna Tiger Reserve after the programme was started. "Panna is one of the most successful tiger recovery programme world over,” Mr Kaswan wrote.

Twitter users reacted to the post with comments. “Om Shanti. She gave most precious gift to mankind by keeping her legacy alive through 13 cubs,” a user wrote.

“Had the opportunity to see her around 2017, Thanks to the team for reversing the depleted nature,” said a person.

“May we have many more like T1. Prayers for the soul of Queen to rest in peace,” a comment read.

“Panna will be indebted for her legacy,” a user wrote.

Another user enquired about the tiger's cubs.

“Great success stories of Indian forests and wildlife,” a person commented.

“RIP. Nature's marvel creation has gifted us something rare,” a user wrote.

In February 2009, there were no tigers left in the Panna Tiger Reserve. A reintroduction programme was started in March that year when two tigresses, T1 and T2, were translocated to the reserve from Bandhavgarh and Kanha tiger reserves.