Memories from 1980s: The first time conservationist Valmik Thapar saw a tigress mothering her cubs

One of the things I’d always wanted to see was a tigress with cubs aged between one and four months, so as to observe the bonding between mother and cubs. We had seen Noon’s cubs at five months but the earlier period was altogether invisible. Laxmi would grant us a peek into this stage of a tiger’s life. In the early 1980s, she had moved to a corner of her mother Padmini’s range between Lakarda and Bakaula, encompassing the valley of Semli. In the first part of the 1980s, she was evasive and elusive. I believe this was her basic nature as she had grown up in an environment that was heavily disturbed by humans.

However, early one morning in March 1986, when Laxmi was nearly ten years old, she gave me the privilege of observing her with her young cubs – an experience that would grant me more insight into the mysterious world of tigers. That day, as I turned a bend in the road, there facing me at the edge of the track was Laxmi. She sat very still, looking at me. At first, I did not see what was around her. Then I realised that three tiny cubs...

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