Tourists Capture 'Breathtaking Battle' Between Tigress And Crocodile At Ranthambore

A group of tourists got to witness the tenacity and daring exploits of Tigress Riddhi during their recent visit to the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan. The wildlife reserve is home to some deadly predators. While tigers and leopards dominate the food chain there, many huge crocodiles can be found in several lakes spread across the forest. The tourists were passing by one of those water bodies when they saw Riddhi graciously walking towards it, perhaps to quench her thirst. All of a sudden, a crocodile’s head popped out from the lake and immediately caught the attention of the predator.

A post shared by Ranthambore National Park (@ranthambhorepark)

As soon as it saw the reptile, Riddhi attempted a hasty attack. She ran towards the crocodile, which might not have been ready for the situation. But it managed to flee off the scene, swiftly disappearing into the water. Riddhi did nothing but accept the defeat and quickly turned her back on the crocodile-infested lake.

The tourists were able to capture the dramatic encounter on their mobile phones. The video was later shared on Instagram by the officials of the Ranthambore National Park. “Breathtaking Battle: Tigress Riddhi attacked the crocodile,” the caption of the post read.

After the clip went viral on the internet, many viewers dug out the reference to Tigress Machali– the late great-grandmother of Riddhi and arguably the oldest living tigress in the wild. When she was alive, Machali was popular as “Crocodile Killer” or “Lady of the Lake” for her dominance over the semiaquatic reptiles. Going by the aggressiveness of Riddhi, a user commented, “Genes of Machali.” Another keeps the same view as he wrote, “So much like her great grandmother Machali.”

Earlier in June 2021, a two-and-a-half-year-old Riddhi was shifted to the Sariska Tiger Reserve due to frequent territorial fights with her sister Siddhi. The decision was made after Riddhi sustained a horrific injury on her tongue that required 14 stitches.

“The big cat population is rising at the reserve, and they need space. We have sought approval to shift more,” Ranthambore’s field director TC Verma said then. The Ranthambore National Park currently has more than 80 tigers. It is the third most-congested tiger reserve in India following Jim Corbett and Kaziranga.