When an animal gets a legendary status, it has done something extraordinary in his/her life. Collarwali, a tigress in her lifespan did exactly the same thing. The tigress has been responsible to increase the count of wildlife tigers at the time they are listed as endangered species and might get extinct as well. However, due to old age and prolonged illness, Collarwali, bid adieu to the world on Sunday.
Also known as T15, the tigress was an integral part of Madhya Pradesh’s Pench Tiger Reserve in Chhindwara district. She also got the title of “Supermom” as in her lifetime she gave birth to 29 puppies in 8 litters. Out of them, 25 are alive, healthy and some of them have even their own cubs as well.
The tiger was ill due to old age. She was last spotted near Bhura Dev Nullah on January 14. She was spotted lying down. She was under the observation of veterinary doctors and was unable to walk. She passed away at 6.15 pm on Saturday,” Alok Mishra, field director, Pench Tiger Reserve, said.
“The exact cause of the death will be known after a post mortem but prima facie it appears to be due to multi-organ failure caused by old-age,” he added.
“The Collarwali was the most popular tigress among tourists. She was born to T 7, popularly known as Badimada, and T 1, known as Charger in 2005. In 2008, a team of experts from Dehradun fitted a radio collar on her,” he said.
“She lived in the wild for more than 16 years which is also a record. Her legacy is not limited to Pench as her female cub was shifted to Panna Tiger Reserve who gave birth to five cubs and contributed a lot in the success of the relocation project of tigers in Panna Tiger Reserve,” Aniruddha Majumder, a scientist at state forest research institute, Jabalpur, said.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan paid tribute to the tigress.
“Tribute to the ‘Super Tigress Mom’ Collarwali of @PenchMP, the pride of Madhya Pradesh and mother to 29 cubs, who played an important role in achieving the Tiger State status for MP. The forests of Madhya Pradesh will always resonate with the roar of the cubs of the ‘Queen’ of Pench Tiger Reserve,” Chouhan said in a tweet.
