Tiger cubs learn essential survival skills through observation and practice, including hunting techniques, camouflage, and territory marking, before their mother forces them to become independent hunters at around two years of age, as the mother's departure is necessary for their survival in the wild.
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The Secret Life of Wild Tiger Cubs | Extreme EarthAdded:
For several months, a female tiger, Sita, has been hiding in the shadows.
But now, for the first time, she reveals why.
The caves have offered shelter for her young family.
But nearly 8 weeks [music] old, the cubs are ready to emerge.
Her one son, Ojas, named for his strength of character, is the first to leave.
He's a mommy's boy, [music] and rarely leaves her side.
His sisters stick together, no matter what.
Fearless Abhaya, and playful Nila.
It's their first time away from the den.
As usual, Ojas relishes his mother's attention.
Bold Abhaya has a look around.
The cubs cause quite a stir in the treetops.
Langur monkeys are the bane of a tiger's life.
High in the sky, they keep all the other forest animals updated with any tiger sightings.
Sita collects a meal that she stashed.
She hunts mostly at night, but has carried this deer fawn back to give the cubs their first taste of meat.
Though she's weaning them off milk, they will still need her to feed them for the next year or so.
While his sisters tuck straight in, Ojas takes a bit of persuading to leave mom and give meat a try.
>> He quickly gives up and goes back to some quality time with Sita.
Male tiger cubs are often bigger and more independent than their sisters, but not Ojas.
He has a long way to go before he'll become a lord of the forest like his father.
The tiger family unit consists of mother and cubs.
Males play no parental role.
Charger is a male in his prime.
He's almost three times heavier than the average man.
Male tigers are solitary wanderers who patrol their territories to keep other males at bay.
>> [music] >> Several females share his patch and when the time is right will mate with him.
The rest of the time Charger prefers his own company.
He walks, sleeps, and hunts alone.
So Sita is left alone to bring up the litter.
But she's raised cubs before and knows what she's doing.
Abhaya is definitely the strong one in this litter.
She hogs the carcass pushing Lila out of the way.
Ojas though is an unusually affectionate little male, always wanting contact from his mother.
Sita notices vultures circling overhead.
They have spotted the cubs' lunch. This could spell trouble.
Sita calmly shows them what to do.
First of all, clean up.
They need to remove the smell of blood from their fur.
The cubs mimic their mother.
Then she leads them away quietly.
>> [music] >> Vultures are like beacons to other predators, >> [music] >> telling them that an easy meal lies beneath.
Her cubs are still small enough to be threatened by most other hunters, so Sita leads them [music] to a new den site.
And not a moment too soon. [music] A jackal has followed the birds and steals what's left of the meal.
The cubs are being watched by another great hunter of the jungle, a leopard.
But as long as they stay close to their mother, the spotted cat wouldn't dare approach.
It freezes until they passed.
Fearless up higher leads her sister on the high road.
>> [music] >> Ojas, of course, sticks to mom.
She calls them together.
For the next few weeks, this will be their new home.
Though they are getting a bit big for suckling, Sita's a relaxed mother and allows them to quench their thirst.
She may later regret making life so easy for these little ones, [music] but for now, she seems content.
Sita's cubs have been born in the rich forests of central India.
The jungle teems with wildlife.
>> [music] >> And in the dry winter grass, peacocks display.
>> [music] >> And the ever watchful langurs forage around grazing deer.
There are two kinds of deer.
Huge majestic sambar and the smaller spotted chital.
Chital and langurs have a very special [music] arrangement and often forage together.
Langurs have keen eyesight and when they are in the trees can spot danger and alert the deer.
When the monkeys descend, the deer's keen ears take over to warn the troops.
This makes life very difficult for Sita as she prepares to hunt.
A large sambar would keep her family going for several days.
>> [music] >> The monkeys spot her and sound the alarm.
But for one deer, it's too late.
The cubs have been patiently waiting for their mother to hunt.
Now Sita returns to lead them to the kill.
>> [music] [music] [music] >> Mother sits back to allow her cubs to eat their fill.
Though as usual, Ojas would rather be by his side.
>> [music] >> Sita obviously enjoys the time with her son.
And while his sisters [music] feed, he's scrubbed from head to toe.
>> [music] >> Although Ojas is a true mommy's boy, he does also have an insatiable curiosity and likes to check everything out.
>> [music] >> He sets off for some monkey watching.
>> [music] >> He has no chance of catching one, but his game's a good practice.
Sooner or later, he will have to learn to hunt for himself.
His life will be intertwined with that of the langur colony. They will be monitoring his every move, and he'll watch theirs, hopeful that they will eventually drop their guard.
This little tiger has to learn the biggest skill, to go unseen.
He's been born with splendid camouflage.
One day he'll be invisible to the creatures of the forest, but now everyone knows where he is.
And that's not just a problem with prey.
Predators are on the move as well.
The Indian python is one of the largest snakes in the world.
This female [music] is 12 ft long.
She's capable of taking prey as large as a boar or young deer.
A tiger cub would go down nicely.
The huge python closes in on its prey.
She strikes and throws her powerful coils around her victim, suffocating the young monkey.
Wisely, the young tiger decides to head home.
As always, Ojas is happy to be back with mother.
Plus, milk is much easier and a lot safer to catch than monkeys.
The cubs play games that will help build their strength and hone coordination.
Though it seems a bit one-sided, Upahyas the bully, always pushing her siblings around.
>> [music] >> Lila tries to hold her own in the wrestling match, but Ojas has had enough.
The family's restless [music] and thirsty, so Sita leads them to drink.
>> Over the coming months, she'll teach the youngsters how to hunt and where to find water.
Ojas drinks by mom while up higher is the cat that walks by herself.
Vultures circle over Sita's most recent kill.
A dinner gong that's soon answered by Charger, the cub's father.
Lions are infamous for lazy males cashing in on the females' hard work.
But in fact, tigers are very similar.
>> [music] >> Larger males know they can easily steal a female's kill.
Sita leads [music] the cubs away.
Adult males will occasionally attack cubs, [music] and even though he's their father, she's not willing to take any chances.
As the sun begins to sink, the family position themselves at the edge of the forest.
>> [music] >> Ojas has the perfect view of tussling chital and courting [music] peacocks.
>> [music] >> The male's elaborate plumage is designed to win him a mate.
Only the most colorful and well-endowed males stand a chance.
The fussy female barely notices his efforts.
>> [music] >> Old males rest up with nowhere to go.
Monkeys settle to roost in the treetops, one of the last pleasant evenings of [music] spring.
The scorching heat of summer is on its way.
>> [music] [music] >> Within a month, the temperatures are soaring above 40°.
Staying at altitude where it's a little cooler, Sita and her cubs are feeding.
Meat doesn't last long in the heat, and this carcass is already fly-ridden and rotting.
But tigers don't seem to mind.
Charger, the male, patrols his territory as always, and is heading towards the family's resting place.
>> [groaning] >> Though they don't spend much time together, Sita and Charger have been mates for several years.
The old male's grumbles reveal his interests.
He's freeloading again, intent on [music] stealing their lunch.
Obediently, Sita moves out of the way.
But her cubs carry on feeding oblivious.
In the harsh summer months, food is hard to come by, but this could put them in grave danger.
The male's five times their size.
It would not be unusual for the male to attack.
But, amazingly, Charger doesn't attack.
He joins them for dinner.
It's very unusual for cubs to meet their fathers like this.
Charger's tolerance is unique.
Though he doesn't hang around for long, just taking a snack with him.
Inquisitive as ever, Ojus decides it would be a good idea to follow his father.
>> [music] [music] >> Charger's a bit taken aback by this bold approach, [music] but allows his son to settle and drink.
The girls wait nearby. [music] But Ojus doesn't want to leave his father's side.
He seems excited by his new [music] role model.
His sisters aren't impressed.
When Charger moves on, Ojus once again follows him.
>> [music] >> But this was a mistake.
With large strides, Charger is soon out of [music] sight, leaving Ojus alone in the forest.
>> [music] >> Suddenly realizing he's [music] lost.
Ojas pleads for help but there's no answer.
Langurs bark in fear of the tiny [music] cat.
But their alarm calls allow Sita to track him down. [music] >> [music] >> The worried little [music] cub is reunited just in time as darkness falls.
Dusk is a very active time for the creatures of the forest.
In the cool evening light, deer emerge to quench their thirst. [music] The chital are on a high alert walking through the long grass.
They know it can conceal great dangers.
Sita has set a trap.
The grass is so tall that the female tiger can creep close to her prey and the deer can't see a thing.
Sita is just meters away.
But despite her concealment, she's spotted.
Only one in 10 tiger attacks ends in a kill.
But in the chaos she's caused an opportunity for another predator.
A huge python has snatched a young chital.
Her muscular coils have throttled the fawn, and now by dislocating her jaws, she's able to swallow her catch whole.
She'll be munching long into the night to swallow her massive meal.
After this, she'll need to sit for weeks, allowing the meal to digest.
But later, under the cover of night, Sita had better luck.
A chital.
Dawn finds Ojas looking longingly for his mother.
They are not old enough to join her on a hunt yet.
All they can do is watch the monkeys as they soak up the morning sun.
>> [music] >> The langur monkeys scatter as mom returns to pick up the kids.
She leads them out into the elephant grass where she's stashed the kill.
The cubs fight over breakfast. Bow, as usual, up high wins.
Tigers spend around 18 hours a day sleeping, and today is no exception.
>> [music] >> This respite gives the deer a chance to relax and bathe to cool off from the blistering sun.
A langur mother gives her baby an accidental baptism.
Well, at least it will keep the little one cool.
The hot air creates thermals, allowing [music] heavy-bodied vultures to soar over the forest.
Their eagle eyes are quick to spot Sita's kill through the covering of long grass.
Their descent again alerts Charger to an easy meal.
He boldly marches, [music] scent marking his territory as he goes.
With a big male tiger in residence, other males will stay well clear.
>> [music] [music] >> But Charger takes a detour.
Instead of driving the vultures off the kill, he visits Sita and the cubs.
The two adults share a friendly head rub.
>> Ojas is fascinated. [music] >> [music] >> Confident as ever, he joins his dad.
It's almost unheard of [music] for tiger cubs to have any sort of relationship with their father, but Charger [music] seems to enjoy the company.
>> [music] >> He even puts up with a bit of playful batting.
>> [music] >> Despite the excitement of his new father-son relationship, Ojas is still a mommy's boy at heart.
>> [music] >> Charger moves on to see what the vultures have left behind.
Thunder announces the arrival of the monsoon.
4 months of rain will relieve animals and replenish the landscape.
>> Rivers burst their banks.
And pythons are flushed out into the open.
All predators, whether tiger or snake, get the same treatment from langurs.
They hail its arrival, making it very difficult for the python to hunt.
Sita has taken the cubs to higher ground, where it's a bit drier.
And in the cover of an old ruin, the cubs enjoy her latest prize, a full-grown male chital.
Again, Abhaya has taken over the kill and practices her killing techniques.
No one's told her not to play with her food.
The troublesome threesome are growing fast and need to up their game.
They just have 1 year left of tiger school. After that, they'll need to provide for themselves.
Ojas is as curious as ever and is finally starting to spend more time away from his mother.
But sometimes, his explorations can result in surprise encounters.
The tigers live in a national park and from time to time have human visitors.
For safety, tourists arrive on the backs of giant creatures that Ojas can't help but investigate.
Even elephants can be annoyed, and this one makes its feelings quite clear.
Apu joins in the hunt.
Oja is tired of tormenting the giant and returns to look for his mother.
On a hot day, the forest animals make their way to drink.
A large sounder of wild boars are among the regulars.
Little do they know that their return path is being blocked by a hungry tiger.
Sita has snatched a young boar and wounded it, but she won't kill it.
The cubs return to find meals on wheels.
If they want to eat it, they'll have to figure out how to kill it first.
This is Sita's attempt at encouraging independence.
Wild boars are tough and have razor-sharp tusks. They require careful handling.
Apu gets the boar in a stranglehold, the teeth locked into its neck.
Sita sits back and allows the cubs to feed on their well-earned meal. Their first taste of hunting was a success.
As winter approaches, the tiger cubs reach 1 year old.
They are getting bigger, but they still freeload off their mother.
It's not always easy for her to catch deer, so sometimes unusual meals are offered up. [music] It's the python.
Snakes are not a favorite food, but this huge female snake was pregnant and Sita make short work of the tasty [music] unlaid eggs.
The sisters aren't impressed. Abhaya taking it out on Neela as usual.
>> [music] >> But Ojas is [music] willing to try something new.
>> [music] >> The meal is followed by a nice cooling dip.
>> [music] >> Ojas settles next to his mother.
>> [music] >> Here Abhaya can hunt for frogs.
Not much of a challenge, but at least the inklings of hunting behavior are showing through.
>> [music] >> The family are being watched.
Sita's territory borders those of several females, but the landlords seldom meet.
>> [music] >> Ojas moves to greet the newcomer.
But he's not given a friendly welcome.
He doesn't take the hint.
The stranger has chased our little tiger into her territory and cut him off from his mother, Sita.
>> [groaning] >> Ojas makes a dash to his mother's side.
The cubs must learn to identify and respect their neighbor's boundaries.
As the seasons turn, many of the forest trees blossom.
Their sweet nectar draws birds, and for a while, even the crows stop spying on tigers to cash in on the flowers.
The langurs, [music] too, are drawn to the feast, tightrope walking to get to the flowering branches.
>> [music] >> Luckily, they are messy eaters and flowers that the deer struggle to reach are [music] dropped to the ground.
>> [music] >> The season of riches is soon over. Once the flowers have gone, the animals disperse [music] and the predators must work harder to find them.
It's the cubs' second birthday. They are almost old enough to leave home.
Ojas hangs out alone while disputes between his sisters are becoming frequent.
Though they should be capable hunters by now, these three are still happy to lounge about in the water while Sita does all the work.
The large sambar are on alert. They can sense danger even though they can't see her.
The patchwork of shadows could make it easier for Sita to slip in, were it not for the deer's companions in the trees.
The ever-watchful langurs won't hesitate to sound the alarm.
Sita keeps trying. Her lady teenagers are waiting to be fed.
The deer hear something, but can't see it.
They panic, not sure which way to run.
Giving [music] Sita the opportunity she needs.
Sita struggles to move the huge carcass out of sight.
Though she might be too late.
Under cover, Sita bolts what she can, but she won't be able to enjoy the fruits of her labor for long.
Ojas is first on the scene. Though he doesn't get the normal warm reception.
Sita is pushing the cubs to leave home.
Though it seems they are not taking the hint.
As usual, the kids get their way.
Ojas steals the kill.
Just as Sita settles to sleep, Lila arrives.
The feeding cubs have an audience.
Vultures and crows wait patiently to clean up the scraps.
The cubs must learn to hide their food from these keen-eyed scavengers.
Sita shows them how to drag it into the undergrowth.
When they've had their she positions the carcass in the shade and rakes dirt and leaves to try and mask the shape, concealing it from prying eyes.
Ojas doesn't seem quite ready to leave it just yet.
When he does return to mother, he gives her a fright.
But seems quickly forgiven.
Abhaya has started exhibiting some interesting behavior.
She claws a tree. Scent glands between the toes leave a pungent signal in the scratch marks.
For the first time, she is marking her territory.
>> [screaming] >> A misty dawn promises to turn into a scorcher.
Peacocks herald a new day.
>> [music] >> Abhaya is practicing her hunting skills on her long-suffering sister.
She's the most advanced of the litter.
>> [music] [snorts] >> Ojas just rolls around playfully in front of his mother.
One child that doesn't want to grow up.
>> [music] >> There are game animals all around them.
But Sita is not showing [music] any interest in hunting.
She's had enough of fending for four.
Ojas licks at her. This is like a kid demanding food from his mother. A subtle hint that it's time to hunt.
But hunting is futile. There are langurs everywhere ready to sound the alarm.
And to make matters worse, Sita is being followed by Ojas.
Not the most subtle of hunters.
Barking monkeys send the troops as well as the herds of deer running in panic.
But in the chaos, a baby loses its grip.
Distress calls from the trees draw Ojas's attention.
Ojas sees an easy meal.
But not as easy as he thinks.
Sita ignores his pleas for help.
This tiny body is more trouble than it's worth.
Amhaera is working on a more direct approach.
The langurs were too busy watching Sita and Ojas and had missed the tiger in the shadows.
Like a pro, she bites the throat.
It's an instant death.
Abhaya tucks into her first self-catered meal.
But it may come at a cost.
This is the cue mother has been waiting for.
Sita has had enough. [music] Her cubs have all the skills they need.
They are just too lazy to use them.
>> [music] >> If they won't leave her, then she'll leave them and she spells it out.
They are not to follow.
Ojas is dumbstruck as he watches his mother depart.
Abhaya comforts her sister. [music] She seems least concerned at this great change in their lives >> [music] >> and once again proclaims this forest her own.
Once Sita has gone and the cubs settle, a new peace descends on the forest.
Langurs and chital emerge to [music] quench their thirst.
Young bucks practice sparring, much to the concern [music] of a young monkey.
It's a tranquil scene for now, but from the shadows, eyes watch the herds' every move.
The young tigers are starting to realize their ability to be invisible.
They are taking increasing interest in the animals that come and go to drink.
Abhaya is on the move.
Langurs play around the grazing chital, and sambar bathe. All are relaxed and unaware of the approaching danger.
Abhaya's childhood swimming lessons have paid off.
Triumphantly, she returns with her first big kill.
Lila and Aojes make their way to greet her.
It seems that some of the lessons Sita gave them did sink in.
The cubs try to conceal the carcass under a tree to stop vultures from spotting it.
But, it's not enough to escape Charger's eyes.
While the cubs sleep off their meal, he sneaks in.
To begin with, the cubs barely notice.
>> [music] >> The male is old and worn out from days of mating.
He struggles [music] to drag the large carcass away.
But then, Ojas spots his [music] father.
This father and son have always been close, but now [music] things have changed.
Sita has gone, and the cubs need to protect their hard-won meal.
Ojas follows the big male.
For the first time in his life, he plays the man of the house and sticks up for his family.
He's welcomed back by his sisters. Their food saved, the cubs can relax and play.
The three tigers will all need to go their separate ways.
>> [music] >> But for the next few months, they will stick together, helping each other to develop their [music] skills.
Sita was a good mother, and once the youngsters were forced to fend for themselves, they have proved [music] their worth.
For her, the tiger troubles are over.
And for Ojas and his sisters, a new chapter begins.
>> [music]
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