"If you want to get close to a tiger get an elephant" "But these elephants carry cameras and with them they have recorded the most intimate images of tigers ever seen." "In the last program they discovered a litter of four cubs" "We watched as their mother protected them from enemies." "We saw how she hunted to provide them with food" "Slowly they started to acquire the skills they needed for life in the forest." "But nothing had prepared them for the day that a dangerous stranger arrived at their water hole." "The lives of the cubs are at risk" "Their mother isn't at the den and hasn't been seen for days" "A leopard is drinking from a water hole close by." "Leopards kill tiger cubs" "The cubs are now 8 months old and they could put up a real fight but a full grown leopard is a formidable adversary" "Fortunately, it seems that all she wanted was a drink." "With the danger past the cubs have to deal with more routine problems" "What, for example, is the best way to get out of the den" "Not so difficult after all." "Now it's the time for play" "Keeping cool is a major preoccupation" "Damp sand in the shaded spot is just the place to do so" "They urinate directly into the pool that conceals their scent from predators a particularly necessary precaution when mother is away." "The cubs are still nervous" "They daren't stray far from the den." "The crew with the camera elephants are becoming concerned about the mother's safety and decide to go in search of her." "Methodically, they explore her territory in the centre of Pench tiger reserve but it's an area of around 10 square miles and within it, she could be anywhere." "The elephants can get to almost any place that a tigress is likely to reach and the cameras can be switch on the moment an animal is sighted" "But this is not what they were hoping to find another leopard, a male this time and not far form the cubs' den" "The Indian leopard is notoriously secretive and rarely seen but in Pench they far outnumber tigers" "They are a real threat to any tiger cubs that've lost the protection of their mother." "Despite the dangers the cubs spend most of the day out of the den" "Being a foursome seems to give them confidence" "At this age, the two brothers and two sisters get on well together and rarely squabble" "They've now been without food for many days and they must be feeling very hungry and to make matters worse their favorite prey appears nearby." "Cubs as young as this haven't a hope of catching such swift prey but there is no harm in trying." "It's a chance to try out some of the techniques they learnt from watching their mother." "They are making all the right moves" "But they haven't got the patience." "Cubs have to go for long periods without food but if the mother doesn't return soon they will rapidly lose condition." "The next day, the crew hear alarm calls from deer nearby that might mean there's a tiger around so the elephants set off to investigate." "As they close in on the calls the elephant cams are switched on remotely." "Trunk cam, the first on the scene, finds the tiger but it's not the cubs' mother." "It's a male." "If he is a stranger, he might well kill the cubs." "Trunk cam can film from either the elephant or on the ground and it moves even closer on the internal power." "It's good news" "This is Charger the cubs' father and therefore their protector." "He gained his name from his habit of charging the elephants but now he merely warns them off with a few growls." "A fearless father is exactly what the cubs need right now he will keep away any rival males who might harm them" "But the cubs' problems are by no means over" "Their mother has never left them for as long as this before." "Next day, the search for her continues" "The elephants separated to fan out across the territory" "Then a breakthrough fresh pugmarks not far from her cubs." "Footprints can identify an individual tiger" "The mahouts who ride the elephants say these look like the cubs' mother's" "They are certainly very fresh." "And there is a female tiger" "She's scent-marking which suggests that this is indeed her territory." "But only a closer view will confirm her identity" "She is the mother." "Why she left is a mystery" "The mahouts say that a strange male tiger has been seen in the reserve and think that she may have left to try to lure him away from the cubs." "The family is now reunited." "Although leaving then was itself a risk it was probably the lesser of two evils." "The (chrisom) grooming not only helps clean the cubs it gives them much needed reassurance." "The tigeress has done a remarkable job in raising all four cubs but there are still very much of risk." "Half of tiger cubs born die before they are a year old from one cause or another." "The leopard is back" "Will she risk coming down for a drink now that the tigress is back in residence?" "She thinks better off it" "And then we see that the lepord has her own family to protect." "Two five-month-old cubs" "She leads them away to a less dangerous part of the forest." "To record the lives of some of the other inhabitants of the forest the elephants cease other kinds of spy cams" "Log cam can be put on ground and left to operate by itself." "It will trun itself on whenever anything large moves in front of it." "Many of these cameras are placed around the tigresses' territory and carefully positioned." "Spotted deer are regularly caught by these kindly cameras they are one of the favorite foods of tigers" "With hungry cubs to feed the tigeress must find a meal quickly." "But there are no deer nearby." "Now as she searches for prey the cubs often travel with her" "That way, she can visit distant parts of her territory where the deer have not been hunted for sometime so are less on their guard." "Spotted deer often share lookout duties with monkeys" "That suits both parties" "But at the water hole, it's different" "There not every monkey is a friend" "Log-cam reveals that macaques actually chase deer away" "Even the biggest stags retreat." "With the deer having taken flight the macaques have to rely on their own surveillance skills." "The tiger spells danger" "Two tigers are clearly a terrifying sight" "And five must surely be every monkey's worst nightmare." "The spotted deer hear the commotion" "But the tigeress is not particularly perturbed" "This old teak forest teems with life" "If she keeps moving she will get lots more chances" "Here there are plenty to choose from" "She's got one" "Tigers are generally said to succeed just 1 time out of 10 but this tigeress kills on average every third try." "She needs to be good" "Her cubs have already got huge appetites and by the time they leave her they will weigh 8 times as much ." "Even at this size each cub consumes around 2 kilos of meat at a single sitting." "The camera elephants take a bath everyday" "They work for five hours at a stretch then the rest of the day is their own" "In the sweltering summer these daily ritual brings much needed relief from the heat." "The cubs also like a cooling dip but the pool by the den is not large and when their mother joins in things can get a little crowed." "In spite of the heat summer is a good time of year for some of the forest animals" "These are among the rarest, sloth bears" "They only venture out during the day in the most secluded places but spy cam was there to record them" "They are feasting on fallen breadfruit" "Wild boar are also partial to breadfruit" "Most animals fear sloth bears but not apparently wild boar at least not when there is food around." "Although there is plenty for all it's sometime necessary for the bears to show who is boss" "the bear cubs are working out where they stand in the pecking order" "They are aggressive creatures by nature and will face down even the biggest predators but them must show no fear" "Even so, for the youngsters things sometimes get just too much and it's time to retreat." "The tigers have moved from their small and shrinking bath tub to a more commodious bathing pool." "a reservoir built by the local people will provide them with water throughout the year." "It's a great place to cool down." "The sambar deer are feeling the heat too" "The wild boar also enjoy a mud bath and combining the volley with a meal just doubles the pleasure." "Mud bathing is clearly enjoyable but it also helps an animals to get rid of ticks and other skin parasite." "The tigress hasn't yet found the perfect spot" "Her cubs opt for shade" "Tigers are one of the few cats that actually enjoy swimming and they usually pick den sites close to water." "As they travel around their territories during the summer they move as quick as possible through the drier parts to get to the hunting grounds that have good bathing pools." "As June comes to an end the heat becomes really hard to bear mid-day temperatures can reach 45 in the shade" "But after a bathe the water evaporating from the fur cools the body and brings enough relief for the animal to snooze." "When the monsoon finally arrives it's not a moment too soon" "As well as bringing a welcome dropping temperature the rains replenish the park's dams and pools" "There is greenery everywhere." "The giant 2m webs of Golden Orb Spiders hang between trees" "These are the biggest spiders' webs in the world sometimes stretch across 6-metre gaps" "The elephant are bond to barge through them" "The spiders themselves have a span as wide as a human hand but there are of no consequence to an elephant." "Their web is strong enough to catch a small bird but the spiders in fact feed only on insects." "The cubs are just over one year old and they have an appetite to match their size" "But there has been a significant change in their behavior" "Their play now includes mock hunting with mother serving as an target" "This is stylized fighting" "It looks dangerously aggressive but the cubs keep their claws fully throughout." "Mother never takes part in their fighting games but indulgently tolerates the cubs' boisterous behavior." "They spend a lot of time travelling" "Five nearly full-size tigers on the move together is a rare sight indeed" "They are a formidable force" "Nothing stays around to challenge them." "Even though its now cooler they still bathe at the hottest part of the day" "Water is difficult to resist." "The cubs take no notice whatever of the elephants' so it's possible to get really intimate chance from the camera held on the trunk." "Progress through the forest is slow because they linger at almost every pool or stream." "They are not alone in relishing/Æ·³¢ the abundances of water." "The langur monkeys and their babies seem to have not a care in the world" "But for some babies, drinking isn't the most comfortable of times" "Unlike macaques langurs are the friends of spotted deer" "They share the task of keeping a lookout for their grestest enemy." "The time is come for the tigeress to make a determined hunt" "One of her cubs decides to go with her to get some personal tuition" "The rest prefer to take it easy they are now starting to behave as individuals each making its own decisions about what it should do." "The tigeress doesn't need to look far for a meal" "She is in one of the productive parts of her territory" "She hasn't been here for some time so she has more chance of catching her prey off guard" "The lush undergrowth gives her plenty of cover." "Her preys seem quite unconcerned but not for long" "The cub has still to learn that this sort of behavior is not what it's needed when mother is trying to hunt." "The langur sends a warning far and wide" "But still the cub doesn't calm down" "The cub is now testing his mother's patience to the limit she warns him that enough is enough" "The rest of the cubs are content to wait until she's caught something" "That shows just how well-fed they are." "Her prey soon relax" "The pools are beginning to dry" "Gaur, the rare wild Indian cattle are big enough to push most other drinkers out of the way." "Spotted deer are given their marching orders by the more dominant sambar deer." "The mother makes another start but she will have to get rid of her overenthusiastic cub" "This time, he gets the message" "The cub is beginning to understand his mother's changing demeanor" "Every posture has its special meaning." "When she has a target in her sights nothing will break her concentration." "She has taken her prey completely by surprise" "She brings it down" "It's a sambar deer." "She partially throttles her victim but doesn't kill it she will use this one to give a lesson to her cub" "The mother leaves him to get on with it" "But he is not quite sure what to do" "The throttle hold is one of the most important things he has to learn and he is making a good start." "Giving half killed prey to a cub like this seems heartbreakingly cool but learning to deal with live prey is a vital step on the path to becoming an independent hunter." "The mother has returned to find the other cubs" "She can remember exactly where she left them and they greet her with head butts a gesture that is used by many cats, large and small." "The chase took her a long way from her cubs but she knows the forest so well that she is able to lead them directly back to the kill by the shortest possible route." "The cub meanwhile is making the most of having the kill to himself." "By the time his brother and sisters arrive he starting to feel it's his" "the cubs are beginning now and then to be aggressive towards one another particularly when there is food around." "As the new comers wait their turn they dispel their frustration with a game of chase" "The carcase is too big for one cub to consume on it's own so eventually they will all get their fill." "The cub pulls the carcase into the shade of bush and things start to calm down." "While the cubs relax the elephants leave them and set off to look for other tigers." "There are reports that the cubs' father" "Charger is back in the neighborhood" "Trunk cam spots him first and discovers that he's made an extraordinary kill." "The high view from the elephant back reveals just what he is eating a sloth bear." "Killing a sloth bear shows just what a strong individual he is" "Bears are formidable animals and have even been known to attack tigers." "The bear must've been difficult to kill and plucking it certainly took some time for the result looks like a rug on the forest floor." "Although Charger has not gone far away he rarely spends time with his family but his presence in the neighborhood keeps away young males looking for territory who might attack the cubs." "The male cubs are already becoming distinguishable from their sisters by their more powerful build." "The male on the left has a broader head than his sister on the right" "Until now, the cubs've behaved in largely similar way" "Eventually however their paths will diverge" "The females will each take up a territory close to their mother but the males will move much further away to find and, if necessary, fight for territories of their own." "For now however brothers and sisters stick closely together" "They still have a lot to learn" "Both sexes have to know how to fight the females to protect themselves from unwanted advances the males to take or defend a territory and siblings make excellent spying partners" "It's looks violent but it's quite disciplined and no blood is ever drawn." "Fighting adults use exactly the same moves but with claws and then the results from bouts like this can be fatal." "But paradise doesn't last for ever" "There has been a disturbing report of a second adult male" "The cubs' play fighting may soon need to be something far more serious" "Then, at the edge of the cubs' territory the strange male is spotted" "He is obviously not used to seeing elephants" "Tigers may travel more than 130 miles looking for a place to establish a territory of their own." "Such a stranger will kill cubs if given half a chance." "The cubs are now big enough to put up a fight but having a strange male around is nonetheless a worrying development." "Tigers often use dried up riverbeds as roads through the jungle." "And the family immediately detect that another tiger has been using the same path" "The fact that it sprays so high suggests that the vistors are male." "The tigress packs up her face so that the scent passes over a specially sensitive organ in her nose which enables her to analyze the the smell" "Spraying enable all the tigers in the district to be aware of one another's presence." "trees act as message boards and an unfamilar scent is quickly noticed." "So the family know that a stranger has arrived" "It's rare to see such an intense reaction" "The mother overlays the stranger's scent with her own to make it clear that she is very much in residence" "In her eagerness to scent-mark she gives the cub a." "Every tree is scent-marked in turn" "The tigress leads her cubs up the riverbed away from the area so fast as possilbe but that is where the stranger went" "She could be leading them into danger" "There are scent marks even here" "With strange male around the elephant crew check on Charger the cubs' father" "He seems in good health although quite subdued for a tiger with such a reputation" "Then on his side signs that he has been on a fight" "His right flank shows puncture marks most likely made by the claws of a tiger." "He also seems uncharacteristically nervous" "The tigeress and cubs have moved far from the riverbed and now they have other things on their mind" "They have reached the part of the teak forest where deer are particularly abundant" "This open woodland has some of the highest densities of prey in India" "The family is fortunate indeed to have it in their territory" "But with four energetic cubs to feed she really has to hunt at every opportunity otherwise they will start to lose condition." "The long grass allows her to get close very quickly and without being seen" "As usual, the cubs are behaving in a boisterous way that is bond to catch the attention of the deer." "They seem to've forgotten that their mother is trying to hunt" "But unknowingly the cubs are acting excellent decoys deflecting the deer's attention away from their mother" "She's still hasn't been seen" "For once, the cubs' games are at help" "The deer just don't know how many tigers there are around" "At last, their mother is within range" "She's got one it a sambar" "Time and again, she picks this out" "They are bigger than spotted deer and therefore make more of a meal." "She doesn't need to call her cubs they saw what happened and immediately stopped playing" "She makes a halfhearted attempt to conceal the body to hide it from vultures and other scavengers" "Clearly she is intending to leave it" "She must've killed this one just for her cubs" "The first on the carcase is one the of the females and she immediately takes position" "Once again there is a chance to practice what is needed to be a hunter" "The later arrivals are at a disadvantage" "Finder's is keeper's" "The tigeress strolls away to take a rest after all that exertion" "She is proving to be a very remarkable mother" "Able to kill so easily but she herself doesn't need to feed at many of her kills." "Her daughter is behaving as if she is killing the deer all over again." "Her sister and brothers seem content to sit it out and she makes sure they realize whose prize it is." "Opening such a big carcase is not easy on your own so soon she lets one of her brothers join her." "Vital rear disappears as together they struggle to cut through the deer's tough hide." "After a day full of action the elephants take a break" "but the next morning the tigers have disappeared." "It's three days before the elephants find them again" "They are some distance away from where they were last seen and moving very purposefully." "The elephants must travel fast to keep up although that doesn't prevent them from snacking on the move." "All the cubs are here but there is no sign of the mother and it's unusual for them to move so far without her." "As the elephants get closer to them there seems little to be unconcerned about" "The cubs are still in a playful mood" "The next day breaks with a deceptive calm" "When the cubs are found, they are still alone" "They've arrived at one the park's dams a favor source of fresh water for much of the year" "These dams scatter throughout the park are invaluable in the drier months" "Even at this time of year tigers find them irresistible" "As usual, the cubs use them as lavatories so concealing the signs that might reveal their presence to another tiger" "With their mother absent they are very vulnerable." "They find a toy, a log" "But their play is rather subdued" "When their mother's not around the cubs behave very differently" "They are quieter and far less confident" "They avoid deliberately drawing attention to themselves and usually stay in the same place" "The fact that they are still on move suggests that they have been disturbed." "It's 3 days since their mother was last seen" "The elephants begin another search for her" "Like the tigers the wild game in the park is totally undisturbed by the presence of the elephants" "In spite of their great size they can be surprisingly quiet" "The elephants are accepted as just another harmless inhabitant of the forest." "But some creatures here are far from harmless" "A strange male has been sighted again" "He is a young tiger who is probably looking for a territory of his own." "The cubs are not far away and they seem to've picked up the male's scent" "With charger injured the intruder is probably confident enough to leave his own mark" "This is a dangerous situation for the cubs for their mother is nowhere to be seen" "The elephants set out once again to see if they can find the cubs' mother." "At last, they discover her at one of her old den sites" "This is very reassuring" "But something seems wrong" "She is unusually subdued" "Then we find out why" "She has a wound in her chest that is obviously causing her some distress" "Such a cut could've been caused by the horns of her prey or from a fight with another tiger." "It's fresh and obviously a serious injury." "She is in a bad way and desperately needs rest" "This explains why she left her cubs alone" "The cubs are still on the move and they reach the dammed river in the centre of the park" "Cubs rarely wander far from where their mother left them" "But perhaps realizing that they are now very much on their own they seem anxious to keep moving." "They are still too young to survive without their mother so their future will depend on her making a quick recovery." "They do everything they can to avoid being detected" "but it's all in vain" "The strange male has appeared not far from where the cubs found scent marks" "This is "too close for comfort"." "Their only option is to put as much distance between them and him as possible" "The cubs have survived against the odds but now they are in great danger" "With both parents injured and a rogue male on the loose they will need a miracle to pull through." "In the next Spy in the Jungle we will find out if their luck holds."