Masti died in captivity on November 21.
The wild tiger Masti first came to public attention back in 2002 when he was filmed by tourists who saw him moving around with a trap on his leg in the forests of Nagarahole in Karnataka.
The first pictures the world saw of Masti was of the magnificent animal crippled by a vicious jaw trap.
The pictures of the tiger were taken by tourists and on seeing them, the forest department went in, found the tiger and brought him out, knowing he could not survive in the wild.
Masti was taken to Mysore Zoo where his paw and part of his leg was amputated. He was condemned to a life in captivity. When we went to his cage in the zoo, his rage and discomfort were obvious.
He was later shifted to Bannerghatta National Park outside Bangalore in 2005 and sheltered in a centre for rescued animals.
Too strong for an ordinary cage, an open air enclosure was built for him to help him spend at least a part of the day in fresh air and sunshine.
He mated with captive tigresses in Bannerghatta and had several cubs.
Masti, the magnificent tiger, died in captivity on November 21. He was wild at heart till the end.