Kanha Tiger Reserve  Kanha, even in the beginning of the last century, was famous for its tigers. It was long preserved as the exclusive shooting area of the ‘most privileged’. Now the Reserve harbours 89 tiger (confidence level of 73 -105) as per the figures revealed by The Wildlife Institute of India and the Tiger Conservation Authority in New Delhi on May 23, 2007, compared to 114 tigers as per the 1997 tiger census.

Here also the ‘Tiger Show’ is organized by the management and tourists are taken to see the tiger on elephants. It is difficult to take action pictures of tigers during these organized shows because the tigers are under stress, but one can see them and take pictures. I generally wait till the last tourist has departed. I then take the elephant ride and wait for the tiger to become somewhat active and behave normally. The authorities sometimes give permission for this, if they are convinced that one is a serious naturalist and a wildlife photographer. We have done our best tiger photography by taking an elephant ride in the afternoons and taking a chance to locate a tiger with the help of the  ‘jungle alarm system’ operated by the herbivores and the birds. Visits to the two areas called “Badi Chuhri’ and ‘Choti Chuhri, or the Kanha meadows have sometimes been very fruitful where we try to look into the shady spots of the various nullahs. In summer heat, tigers often lie in small pools of water, cooling themselves. Sometimes with prior permission, we took a ride on one of the elephants which left before dawn to locate tigers for the ‘tiger show’. In case the tiger was located, good action photography was possible in the early morning light before the tourists arrived. At the entrance to the reserve is Kisli, which is a hilly area with dense forests. Park elephants may be available more easily in Kisli as the main rush of the tourists is in the Kanha area. We have done some satisfying tiger photography in Kisli.