Ranthambore bids its beloved Arrowhead a final goodbye

Ranthambore bids its beloved Arrowhead a final goodbye

Arrowhead(T-84), the legendary Ranthambore tigress, was cremated today. The majestic animal breathed her last on June 19 aged 11.

Forest officials and wildlife enthusiasts paid heartfelt tributes before Arrowhead was cremated.(X/ @ParveenKaswan)

“Carried bloodline of Ranthambhore,” wrote Indian Forest Service officer and a popular internet personality, Parveen Kaswan, as he posted the last picture of the most photographed tigress on his official X handle.

“She raised cubs that helped repopulate parts of Ranthambhore and other tiger reserves. Strengthened gene pools and rewrote conservation,” he added.

Arrowhead was suffering from bone tumor before she succumbed to the disease on Thursday. It was the same day that her daughter Kankati (T-2507) was relocated to Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve, officials from the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) said.

Born with three other cubs in 2014 to T-19 Krishna, Arrowhead was sick for a long time. An autopsy report of hers had previously revealed that several organs of her body were damaged. "It is a disheartening coincidence that she passed away on the same day when her daughter is being shifted to Mukundra,” Ranthambore Tiger Reserve(RTR) field director Anoop KR said.

According to Field Director Anup K R, the tigress was born in February 2014. She was mostly seen in Zones 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the national park, with Nal Ghati and Rajbagh Lake being her primary territories.

Arrowhead gave birth four times and was the mother of 10 cubs. Six of them are alive. She gave birth for the last time in 2023.

She was sighted with two cubs, her first litter, on February 22, 2018. She gave birth to her second litter on January 2, 2019 and third litter on July 23, 2021. Kankati (T-2507) belonged to her fourth and last litter.

Arrowhead recently made it to the headlines after a video of her hunting a crocodile went viral. Netizens recalled the hunting prowess of Machhli, Arrowhead's grandmother and one of the most photographed tigresses often referred to as the "Queen of Ranthambore" and "Crocodile Hunter".

Forest officials and wildlife enthusiasts paid heartfelt tributes before Arrowhead was cremated.

"Arrowhead carried forward the legacy of Machhli, both in spirit and strength," Shakir Ali, a senior guide in the tiger reserve, said.