A tiger from Jim Corbett that haunted me for months: What we fail to see in national parks

Key points

• A wildlife enthusiast recounts a profound encounter with a tigress and her cubs in Jim Corbett Park.
• While initially awestruck, the author later felt shame witnessing the animals' vulnerability amidst tourist activity, questioning the line between appreciation and harassment in wildlife tourism and advocating for greater restraint.
• I am a wildlife enthusiast, an animal lover, and an ornithophile, simply put, someone deeply fascinated by birds.
• I cherish the company of forests far more than prolonged human interaction beyond the boundaries of work.
• From the tranquil backwaters of Vembanad Lake to the dense wilderness of Satpura Park, Jim Corbett, and Ranthambore Park places that feel like second homes to me-I spend my weekends breathing in the crisp forest air, listening to the hauntingly beautiful calls of the nightjar, and sitting quietly in lonely mountain cottages, gazing at distant village lights flickering like fireflies upon dark hillsides.I have encountered tigers many times...