Meet the tigers

By Lindsey Parietti

In the middle of a tangled river system in western Nepal, a small island is home to one of the highest concentrations of tigers on Earth. In a world-first, a film crew used an entire fleet of drones to follow individual tigers over two separate months, uncovering remarkable stories and behaviours. The crew were able to tell the tigers apart using their stripes – no two tigers have the same pattern… they’re like walking barcodes.

Local wildlife guides Sushila and Manju Mahatara have been observing Goma for several years. Estimated to be nine years old, she is the most experienced and largest tigress on the island.

Adept at evading threats and avoiding people when they visit her forest, Goma’s years of experience have helped her successfully raise several broods of cubs to adulthood.

At the time of filming, Goma has two cubs, aged nine months.

Mala is a four-year-old tigress and an adult daughter of Goma. Young tigers only leave their mothers at around two years of age, so Mala has not been independent for long.

Mala’s male siblings have dispersed and left the area, but she has set up home next to Goma, inheriting part of her mother’s territory. This behaviour is common among solitary big cats like tigers and leopards, where mothers cede a piece of their territory to their daughters and live tolerantly as neighbours. This may be a strategy to minimise conflict and help their offspring survive.

At the time of filming, Mala has three cubs, aged three months. She faces a steep learning curve as a first-time mother, and must work out how to protect and provide for her family all on her own.

The third resident tigress in the area, Jugini may be another daughter of Goma’s and is her neighbour to the north.

She is not seen in the area as often as Goma and Mala but when she does appear, she seems to interact peacefully with the other tigresses, especially Goma.

At the time of filming, Jugini has three cubs.

Bandheil is the only known male tiger who controls territory on the island. Adult male tigers in Nepal typically weigh over 200 kilograms, and Bandheil is one of the largest males seen in the area.

Bandheil’s territory overlaps with the resident tigresses including Goma, Mala and Jugini but he is more elusive. Male tigers defend bigger territories and roam greater distances than the females (up to 18 miles a night), which may explain why he is not seen as often.

Bandheil may be the father of Goma’s cubs, but even so he could pose a threat to them. Male tigers are not thought to usually play a part in caring for cubs, and may even kill the youngsters they come into contact with.