India Abroad - March 30, 2012

India Abroad March 30, 2012

Nirav Bhat: Cat and Mouse Game
In the blazing heat of the arid Rann of Kutch, an
Indian desert cat kitten (Felis silvestris ornate) plays
with its food, an almost-dead bandicoot. These cats
live in burrows to escape the heat and in all
likelihood its mother handed the rodent over to train
the future predator to hunt. Extreme habitats such
as deserts are particularly vulnerable to the impact
of climate change and this puts charismatic species
such as desert cats at great risk
Aditya Singh: Mother’s Fury, First Prize This incredible confrontation between a sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) and a tiger (Panthera tigris) took place in the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, April 9, 2011. The mother bear with two cubs on her back, literally stumbled upon a pair of courting tigers. Usually both animals would give each other a wide berth, but for some reason the bear chose to stand her ground. The young tiger in the frame had probably never experienced anything like this and after a period of angry vocalization by both animals, lasting around two minutes, the tigress and her mate retreated. The mother bear, cubs holding on for dear life, won the day

Really wild

PRIZE-WINNING PICTURES

FROM INDIA’S JUNGLES

Lalith Ekanayake: Good Tern,
Third Prize
This Roseate Tern (Sterna
dougallii) mother decided to
bodily lift her young one to keep
it safe from predation by larger
shore birds. The action took
place at a breeding site on a Sri
Lankan island off the northern
peninsula. Chick predation is a
major survival threat for
mass-nesting species such as
gulls and terns. This particular
chick was carried back to safety
by its mother

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