I already knew that viewing wild tigers was not going to be easy but I had no idea just how hard it would turn out to be. There was one point when I feared I would have to return home with nothing.  Alas, my luck was in. I spent six days in Bandhavgarh National Park and another six days in Pench National Park, both in the Madhya Pradesh region of Central India.

BANDHAVGARH
For the first four days I saw nothing other than lovely scenery and lots of chital (spotted deer) and langur monkeys. On the fourth day my luck started to change. My first proper sighting of a wild tigress was by far the most memorable moment of my entire wildlife art career.

Two years ago I went to visit wild mountain gorillas in Rwanda. This was a distinct highlight in my life but seeing a wild tiger for the first time was something altogether very special and I can't think of anything that will ever eclipse this experience. I have to admit without any shame that it made me cry. I needed to see and photograph them for my work but on a personal level it meant so much more than just business. There are very few tigers left in the wild and I feel very privileged to have had this opportunity. The first sighting was along one of the many dirt tracks which are incredibly dusty and play havoc with camera equipment.

My driver, Digpal Singh, was able to get me just in the right place at the right time. Under thick bamboo I glimpsed the tell-tale orange and black stripes. I aimed my camera into the darkness and looked straight into the eyes of a tigress. She was just sitting there, staring straight back at me. My eyes welled up with emotion and I felt so sorry that I was part of the race of creatures on this planet which is relentlessly causing their demise. I secretly said sorry and cried my eyes out.


Seeing this made me cry.  How long will they survive?

I'm sorry if this sounds somewhat melodramatic, but it is the way I am and the way it is. If you are ever lucky enough to experience something like this and you feel nothing, then I feel very sorry for you. This very first tiger sighting will feature very soon in a painting and one which will have a very special meaning to me. I may keep it.

Over the next couple of days I had about another four sightings, all producing good photos. The tiger sightings were all very brief which makes you really appreciate seeing them all the more. How many tigers there are in Bandhavgarh is uncertain but it felt like there were only about six!

Two of four cubs seen in Bandhavgarh

Mother (right) and 14month old cub seen in Pench on my second day.  This mother was one of the original cubs in the BBC film.  She was actually with all four cubs on this sighting.

The next morning I saw two of the same cubs from the previous day which were following their mother. The mother had just crossed the road in front of us and "Digi" knew that the cubs would also cross. I was ready for them and kept the camera shutter firing as the first cub crossed behind us. Then the second cub followed but this time in front. I did the same thing, keeping the camera firing on motor drive. This brief encounter got me the best tiger photos of the two week trip. I never thought I'd get any action photographs but I now have some excellent shots which I will use in action paintings.

I didn't know it at the time, but that was the last time I would see wild tigers, at least as far as this trip was concerned. I had another four days in Pench but although the scenery is stunning and there are plenty of other photographic opportunities here, the tigers would elude me.  Will I ever see tigers in the wild again? I don't know.

Chital or spotted deer, the main prey of the tiger.  They can be seen everywhere foraging under trees where the monkeys drop fruit and fresh leaves.

The pace in India was quite tiring - up at 4.00am every morning, in the park by 6.00am and solid tiger searching each day.

The only change was when I visited a local village where there was a regular Sunday market. People were selling everything from fruit and veg to jewellery and pots and pans to clothing. The thing which struck me most was how brightly coloured everything was. The fruit was amazing - fresh and colourful and all the women wore such bright colours. They were also very friendly and extremely photogenic. I intend to paint some portraits at some time in the future.

With Digpal Singh, my ace driver who knew just where to put that Jeep.  He could drive it up a tree if I wanted him to!

I am very grateful to Mike, Digi, Vinod and everybody else who made this trip such a success for me. You all know who you are, so thank you.

All in all, a very successful trip. Very different to Africa and quite a culture shock. There is clearly much poverty but it is amazing how generally happy the people are. I'm sure we can learn a lot from them. We in the West have a very different standard of living and perhaps we should appreciate what we've got a little more. This visit to India has really given me a unique experience. The Bengal Tiger has always been seen as one of the most treasured and beautiful creatures on this earth. Now I can personally confirm this to be the case. Long may they remain.

Now I need to turn this trip of my life into some exciting art. I will be exhibiting some of the new tiger paintings at the Untitled Artists Fair in Chelsea on the 4th June, but will of course have paintings in galleries and on this website before then.

Many thanks again for your continued interest and support. Until next time can I just say to you all, "dhanyabad" which means "thank you" in Hindi.
Tony Forrest.