Sultan - The Little Emperor

Ranthambhore National Park is one of the biggest and most renowned national park in Northern India.  Being considered as one of the famous and former hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur, today the Ranthambhore National Park terrain is major wildlife tourist attraction spot that has pulled the attention of many wildlife photographers and Nature lovers in this destination. Certainly, a visit to Ranthambhore National Park is a treat for every wildlife and nature lover. The time spend on watching tigers roaming around, verdant cover, a range of other species of chirpy birds and animals is speechless and worth enough to be explored at least once in a life. 

Ranthambhore has witnessed many odds and spectaculars of natural history, like very recently we saw father Male tiger T25 bringing up cubs. Male tigers are not known to take care of the young ones and are, on the contrary, kept away from the cubs by the tigresses. Now looks like our Ranthambhore Tigress Noor is taking clue from china, which already is facing Little Emperor Syndrome because of its single child policy. Ever wondered how in tiger world Little Emperor Syndrome affects, Yes, it evident, read on the story.

Its typical of tigresses to be overly cautious and secretive about when caring for their young ones, she moves the cubs to location less habituated. Cubs spend the majority of their time playing with their siblings and their mother until around fifteen months of age. Playing helps the growing tiger cubs develop useful life skills such as stalking, pouncing, swatting and climbing. 

But our protagonist Sultan's fate is otherwise, the only son of Ranthambhore Tigress (fondly called as Noor or Mala).  Noor, being parent of the an only cub has tough time ahead in wild, Sultan being single cub, her indulgence becomes overindulgence and disciplining seems overbearing or totally absent, and the problem of growing the cub in to a notorious brat becomes near seen obvious. Even with his father T24 the legendary (known as ustad) sultan seems to be physically very expressive, exchanging paw slaps and fondly playing with him.

Sultan walking, just imitates his mothers prowl, Noor can be found in the background, on a sunny Winter Noon

Mother Noor seem to over indulge and overcompensate Sultan with excessive affection and rather bigger chunk of the feed. Usually hierarchical order is established among tiger cubs by this of age with the most dominant sibling eating and consuming most resources first, however Sultan has all for himself.  At his 10 months of age, he has his mother as his play mate, he has to pick up his skills of stalking, pouncing from his mother only, with no siblings he has started to behaving as a full blown brat already.

Sultan Yawning - His fallen Milk teeth is visible here. Tiger cubs are born without teeth, like human babies. After only a few days, the first set of needle-sharp teeth are visible. At about six months of age, these milk teeth fall out and are replaced by stronger adult teeth. However, the animal is never (under normal circumstances) left with gaps or missing teeth between its milk and adult sets. Rather, the adult teeth grow behind the milk teeth, which only fall out once the permanent teeth are developed enough to replace them.

  At a very early age and lack of siblings, Sultan follows his mother out of the protection area on the hunts, and he has already started picking up lessons of hunt and seem to be playing around himself. Noor has to bear the ordeal of accompanying him always as he would need her attention in the wild and can't leave him to be for himself, while most other tigresses has time to spare, relax and hunt and their own private space, but its otherwise for Noor, its testing of patience and motherhood for her.

Noor after a heavy meal relaxing on a sunny Noon - This was captured few mtrs away from her Neelghai kill which Mother and son duo ate for at least few days. While Noor relaxed, Sultan was found eating the carcass once in a while and playing around.

Noor may be regretting of having litter of only one, while Sultan on the other hand is already brave and exploring mothers territory on his own, he seem to be reaching his adulthood sooner than compared to other typical cubs with siblings.

Its so notable that increasing trend of single parenting is with humans is creating social  implications across, and with putting immense pressure to succeed and compete academically on the child. On the other hand we see in the animal world how its affecting its behavioral aspects. Sultan is already famous with the visitors, photographers and forest guards, hes bold enough to face the tourist vehicles and many a times seen to be on prowl all alone, also growling at other invasive counterparts.

Tigress Madhuri's Cubs (Tadoba Anderi Tiger Reserve), commonly known as telia cubs as they are found at telia lake most of the time. This picture depicts how cub is playfully stalking at her sister sipping water, these early activities with siblings help tigers pickup and build their strategy and techniques for hunting.

Whether the “extra push” from Noor for her only cub, could run counterproductive or Sultan will behave much matured and establish himself in the wild sooner than his counterparts will be time tested. The character of this young male tiger have signs that he would rule the forest like his father and has great future. For now will wish Noor happy parenting and prove The little Emperor Syndrome to be a false!