Tigers in their natural habitat based on my imagination

In the late 1960s, my friend Yasemin invited me to visit her ancestral home in Bagerhat for the weekend. Bagerhat is a small town in the district of Khulna in southwestern Bangladesh, south of the river Bhairab. It is located north of the Sunderbans - the mangrove forest that is the home of the Royal Bengal Tiger.

Our plan was to stay in Bagerhat for 2 nights and go on a day trip to the Sunderbans. I had been there earlier with my parents but I was very excited to go again because on my first trip I hadn't seen any tigers. I was hoping to get a glimpse of a tiger on this trip.

On the day of the trip, we went to the port at Narayanganj around noon and boarded the Rocket steamer to Khulna. The next morning we arrived in Khulna early around 7:00 am. From Khulna, we got on a small ferry to the road to Bagerhat, then a small train to the town of Bagerhat. 

From the town, it was a bumpy jeep ride to Yasemin’s ancestral home. Her family were landowners and they owned acres of land. Most of the younger members of the family had left for the big city, Dacca. The family members that remained had people working for them. They grew rice, sugarcane, wheat, jute, and potatoes. They also had cattle, goats and other domesticated animals living there. 

Soon after we arrived, Yasemin and I explored the grounds. We walked to a pukur (pond) where we heard anecdotes about two crocodiles - Kalo (black) and Shada (white) who lived there. They were supposed to be the ancestors of Yasemin and her family. There were other stories of the family practicing Hindu traditions and doing their puja (worship) by the lake. It was all quite fascinating.

As planned, we visited the Sunderbans on the second day of our trip. We drove to Chalna and embarked on a motor boat at a point where the river was very wide. After a short while, we entered a narrow river that took us deep into the Sunderbans. On the way, we saw beautiful raptor birds and rhesus monkeys in the mangrove forests. They were very noisy. At one point, we entered an inlet and went close to a sandbar where we saw what looked like pug marks but they were not very clear. 

 "A tiger's paw prints are called pug marks, which are individualistic like human finger prints. No two tigers have the same pug marks."
(https://www.ndtv.com/photos/news/tiger-facts-6780#photo-69252)

Back on the river we saw a steamer passing by. The passengers on the steamer were all frantically waving at us and pointing at something in the water. We turned around and saw a tiger swimming in the water a fair distance away. It felt like it was swimming towards us. I didn't realize that tigers could swim. We were in no danger but it was good that they warned us. Then, as the motor boat speeded up we noticed an enormous crocodile basking in the sun on a sandspit. This was all quite terrifying and thrilling at the same time. It was a sight to see. We continued our trip deep into the jungle through the dense mangrove forests. Some of the tree branches were very low and we wondered if there could be snakes hanging from the trees.

By now it was mid-afternoon and we decided to return to Bagerhat before high tide. As we headed back we passed little villages on the edge of the forest. To our amazement, we saw a little boy dive into the water to rescue a baby fawn. He wasn't even afraid of what was lurking beneath the water unlike us city people.

That night we returned to Bagerhat and had a really nice dinner. We were ravenously hungry after the adventurous day we had. Yasemin stuffed herself. I had never seen her eat so much. After dinner, we joined the rest of the family on the verandah overlooking the garden and the land beyond. As we were sitting there talking, I looked into the darkness and felt a pair of eyes watching me from a distance. Was it a tiger? No one else seemed to be concerned. So I continued to stare at whatever was looking at me. 

We decided to retire for the night and Yasemin fell asleep instantly. I didn't sleep well thinking of the pair of eyes staring at me in the dark. Was it really there or had I imagined it. 

Bagerhat was at the edge of the Sunderbans and the tigers didn't normally encroach on agricultural lands unless they were hungry and couldn't find a prey in the forest. 

The next morning we heard a commotion. A large bull had disappeared in the night. A tiger had wandered into the agricultural lands, killed a bull and dragged it away into the forest. It had left a trail of blood. When I heard the story, I wondered if the pair of eyes looking at me from the distance was the same tiger who had killed the bull. Tigers are terrified of humans and I had been in no danger with a group of people. Had I been alone, I may not have been here to tell this tale.

This is a fictional story.

I am dedicating this article to my friend Yasemin Brett whose paternal family was from Bagerhat. Also many thanks to Arup Chowdhury and others for providing details about the area.