The Tigress as a Mother

A tigress is one of the most perfect mothers to inhabit this planet. She takes on the responsibilities of every aspect in the development of her young into independent adults. To the female cubs she passes on the methods of raising cubs. She teaches all her young the methods of stalking and outwitting their prey. Her patience and tolerance is infinite. The cubs jump on her head, bite at her purposely flicking tail and play endlessly all around her but she patiently puts up with it all.

The mother keeps a watchful eye on us while her cubs feed on the chital kill provided by her

After the suckling period, she has the added burden of providing kills for feeding her cubs too. She trains her cubs to stay hidden from the dangers of the jungle while she is away hunting. She is also very careful and regular with frequent changes of their den for the same reason. She gently carries each cub from the neck to the new den, however far it may be. Once the cubs are old enough to start accompanying her on small walks into her territory, the shifting of dens becomes less frequent. She sometimes has to take on other tigers and tigresses to protect her young. After first teaching her cubs the art of hunting, she is known to actually provide live prey at times for practicing and perfecting their techniques. She teaches them what not to fear and what to avoid. The latter being mainly man. She allows a hierarchy to develop among the cubs. The dominant male cub always has the first go at a fresh kill. She teaches them how to adhere to the territorial regulations set by all tigers.

Until they are old enough to fend for themselves, she takes care of all her cubs' needs and requirements. Once they are capable of being independent individuals, mostly when they are past the age of 2 years, she encourages them to move out and find their own territories and position in the jungle.