0:00:15 > 0:00:19She is the most famous tiger in the world.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25I named her Machli.
0:00:27 > 0:00:33I've spent 13 years following her incredible life.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37TIGERS GROWL
0:00:37 > 0:00:41The greatest fighter I've ever seen...
0:00:43 > 0:00:45..and the greatest mother.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57She came to rule over Ranthambhore National Park...
0:00:59 > 0:01:02..became its queen...
0:01:02 > 0:01:04and founded a dynasty.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21Now she's old and frail, she doesn't have much time left.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23TIGER ROARS
0:01:23 > 0:01:27I've come to find my old friend for one last time...
0:01:27 > 0:01:29to say goodbye.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Even in my personal life, I've always tried to go
0:01:35 > 0:01:38and see people before they've died and not go to their funerals.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40That's just the way I prefer it.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42It seems to me it makes a lot more sense.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47What a character. What a character!
0:01:48 > 0:01:52She has given me a lifetime of memories.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56TIGERS GROWL
0:02:02 > 0:02:03This is her story.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45I've come back to Ranthambhore National Park in India
0:02:45 > 0:02:47to find Machli for the last time.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Little did I know,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53when we first met, that she would change my life for ever.
0:02:57 > 0:02:58How's it going, buddy?
0:02:58 > 0:03:01'My constant companion during that time
0:03:01 > 0:03:04'was a local guide, called Salim.'
0:03:04 > 0:03:05Good to see you, buddy.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07'In fact, I met him just about the same time I met Machli.'
0:03:07 > 0:03:11- Excellent. Can't wait.- Chalo.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14'He always keeps an eye on her during my absence.'
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Ah. Good to be back.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19'We've done this so many times together,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22'this place feels like my second home.'
0:03:28 > 0:03:30I guess my life changed completely
0:03:30 > 0:03:33when I got a phone call one afternoon,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36offering me the chance to go to this place, Ranthambhore, in India.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38I'd never heard of the place.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41A few weeks later, I arrived.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45I was a relatively inexperienced wildlife cameraman.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47I knew very little about tigers.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Salim, back then, didn't really have much of an idea, either.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58'We had to find a tiger
0:03:58 > 0:04:01'that was at an interesting stage in its life.'
0:04:01 > 0:04:04How fresh do you reckon these footmarks are?
0:04:04 > 0:04:05They are from the morning.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12But there was one tigress that we found - she was only 18 months old.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17She had just left her mother, she was striking out on her own.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Her mother had already kicked her two sisters
0:04:19 > 0:04:22out of this territory,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25but it didn't look like Machli was going anywhere.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30'My Hindi wasn't great.'
0:04:30 > 0:04:33If I'd known she was going to become the world's most famous tiger,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35I probably wouldn't have called her "Fish",
0:04:35 > 0:04:38cos it's not the best name for a tiger I've ever heard.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42There was something about her - she was just...feisty,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45so we decided to follow her.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51In many ways, she became my jungle guru, my jungle teacher.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57And through her, I met her mother.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Now, she at the time ruled this lake area.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Yet this youngster, her daughter,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09was walking round the place like SHE owned it.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19I knew there was going to be a showdown to win this prime
0:05:19 > 0:05:20lakeside territory.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29As I followed her, it became obvious that these two
0:05:29 > 0:05:32were on a collision course.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33TIGER GROWLS
0:05:33 > 0:05:38Her mother seemed both surprised and disgusted to see her there.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44TIGER GROWLS
0:05:48 > 0:05:50And Machli wasn't giving way.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56TIGER ROARS
0:06:00 > 0:06:02TIGERS ROAR
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Machli got a nasty nick on her chest.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17Her future depended on winning these battles with her mother...
0:06:19 > 0:06:20..and over the next few weeks,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22I witnessed several of these encounters.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33The final clash was set to take place amidst the palace ruins.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48Machli's mother was still laying claim to these ruins.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Machli knew this was serious.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05TIGER GROWLS
0:07:09 > 0:07:12But Machli wasn't giving up any ground.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14TIGER GROWLS
0:07:20 > 0:07:23TIGERS ROAR
0:07:27 > 0:07:29BIRDS SQUAWK
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Seeing Machli dethrone her mother
0:07:40 > 0:07:43made me realise that she was going to be something special.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Her mother disappeared soon after that.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Machli, through her skills as a fighter,
0:07:54 > 0:07:59had become the queen of one of the world's prime tiger territories.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07You have that combination of fort, cliffs, lakes, wildlife every place.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10It's beyond our imaginations.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Seeing Machli move through this landscape
0:08:27 > 0:08:29was just a dream for a cameraman.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36All the animals constantly reacting to her.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39BIRDS CHIRP
0:08:40 > 0:08:44There's nothing, no place like it in the world.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46No place like it in the world.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09Now, 13 years on, I can't wait to catch up with my old friend Machli.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19We've travelled this road so many times and it always looks different.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23And right now, there's been a good monsoon this year,
0:09:23 > 0:09:28so the vegetation growth has been really, really strong.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31And although that's really good for the animals,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34it's good for the deer, and for all the things tigers want to eat,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37it's going to make actually spotting tigers kind of difficult.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39They've so many places to hide.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43But at least, with Machli, we know her, we know her so well
0:09:43 > 0:09:45that we've a pretty good chance of tracking her down.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49But, of course, she's an old lady now, her habits are changing,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52so actually tracking her down, having a good look at her,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54is not going to be that easy.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Just have a listen for a minute.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11There are a lot of animals in this area
0:10:11 > 0:10:15and if she was to start moving, we'd soon hear about it.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17'They'd all start alarm calling.'
0:10:19 > 0:10:21It's so quiet around here these days.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25I'm pretty certain Machli doesn't come here any more.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Very quiet.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45So Machli was at a very interesting stage in her life now.
0:10:45 > 0:10:50Inheriting the territory that you grow up in is a massive advantage.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55It means that Machli already knew every nook and cranny of this place.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59CROCODILE HISSES
0:11:01 > 0:11:04But she was relatively inexperienced,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06and she still had to learn to deal
0:11:06 > 0:11:09with the other creatures found in her territory.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Sloth bears - one of the most aggressive creatures
0:11:24 > 0:11:26you're ever likely to come across.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28BEAR GRUNTS
0:11:30 > 0:11:31TIGER ROARS
0:11:34 > 0:11:35BEAR GROWLS
0:11:37 > 0:11:41She knew when to retreat and picked her battles well.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48She was gaining experience all the time.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53And in a way, we were both learning our trades together.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01Her home range was absolutely full of prey,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03but that can be a disadvantage, too.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Salim, if you spot her, just give me a shout.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10I think she's coming...
0:12:10 > 0:12:14'It only takes one animal to spot her...
0:12:14 > 0:12:17'and the element of surprise is gone.'
0:12:17 > 0:12:19She's going, Colin.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29But she's not giving up.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Her favourite food.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44WARTHOGS SQUEAL
0:12:54 > 0:12:57She's still got a lot to learn.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17What is the next thing that's going to be on a tigress's mind?
0:13:18 > 0:13:21That's meeting a male and having a family.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30As luck would have it, there was this beautiful, perfectly handsome
0:13:30 > 0:13:34big male tiger called Bombooram, who came calling one Christmas Day.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37And she got very excited at this, and she was going round,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40she spent days roaring, roaring, roaring.
0:13:40 > 0:13:41She had picked up his scent.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43She knew he was in the area.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54And then I shall never forget the day.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59TIGER ROARS
0:13:59 > 0:14:01I was listening to this roaring.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06And she stopped, and in the distance I heard an answering call.
0:14:06 > 0:14:07TIGER ROARING
0:14:10 > 0:14:12That was to be my Christmas present.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Unbelievable!
0:14:27 > 0:14:31It was the first time I had seen a male and female together
0:14:31 > 0:14:34and I could see the difference in size.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37He totally dominated her in size. Beautiful, big male.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44TIGER GROWLS
0:14:44 > 0:14:48MONKEY CHATTERS
0:14:48 > 0:14:51TIGERS SNARL
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Couldn't believe it. So excited.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57And they started mating right beside our vehicle,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00and they did it repeatedly for days and days.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02It's a great sight to see.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11By choosing the dominant male,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14she'd selected the best genes around.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Bombooram was well known to be incredibly powerful,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22so hopefully, any offspring they had together would inherit
0:15:22 > 0:15:27those same characteristics.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29TIGERS GROWL AND ROAR
0:15:36 > 0:15:41There was a very good chance that the next generation was on its way.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53'Another day, and still no sign of Machli.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58'I'm really pretty certain she doesn't come here any more now.'
0:16:07 > 0:16:11She's changed her habits so much.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17She's not moving round any way near as much as she used to.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20She used to use these forest trails all the time,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24because they were the easiest way of moving through the park.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28And if she's lying down quietly under a tree,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31there's no evidence as to where she is.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Have you seen Machli anywhere?
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Any of you guys seen Machli?
0:16:57 > 0:16:58No?
0:17:02 > 0:17:04'The park guards confirm my suspicions.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08'Machli has been evicted from her territory,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10'almost certainly by one of her daughters
0:17:10 > 0:17:12'from her fourth and final litter.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17'This means she will be more reclusive and harder to find.'
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Machli was, one day, seen coming from the bush
0:17:32 > 0:17:33and making this little call.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36GENTLE GROWLING
0:17:36 > 0:17:39And I had never heard it before because I had never seen
0:17:39 > 0:17:41a tiger family before, where there were small cubs.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45It's a very gentle little call that the tigress makes for her cubs
0:17:45 > 0:17:47to say, "Come on, follow."
0:17:52 > 0:17:54So Machli stepped out onto the road
0:17:54 > 0:17:56and out came these tiny little cubs with her.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22My future was sort of mapped out for me.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25The fact that she had these cubs, my job was then to follow
0:18:25 > 0:18:29those cubs for as long as I possibly could and watch them grow up.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36So Machli had produced two cubs, she'd gotten them
0:18:36 > 0:18:40through the first monsoon, and they were now about a year old.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49As a first time mum, that's pretty impressive,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53cos I'm sure lots of first time mums lose their first cubs.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57So Machli was already proving herself as something special.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15THEY GROWL
0:19:20 > 0:19:23She taught me so much about this place.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27And in many ways, we were at a similar stage in our lives.
0:19:29 > 0:19:35When she became a mother, I became a father, so we had that in common.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40I've got two wonderful little male cubs, two beautiful female cubs,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44and through my work here, by following Machli,
0:19:44 > 0:19:49she's put food on the table, given me shelter, all that sort of thing.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54So I'm grateful to her for that.
0:20:05 > 0:20:10I look back upon this time as being my halcyon days in Ranthambhore.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Being able to have that opportunity to watch a tiger family
0:20:27 > 0:20:31growing up around the lakes and to have had that lucky break, really,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34of choosing the right tigress.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36I mean, I don't know how many times I've thought to myself,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39I could easily have chosen another one who'd moved off
0:20:39 > 0:20:41and set up a territory some place else.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43I just happened to choose Machli.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54Cubs are with their mums for about at least 18 or 20 months.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58It's a long period of time and you have to feed them during that time,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00and as they get bigger, you have to supply a lot of food.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02So she became an expert hunter.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05BLEATING AND ROARING
0:21:05 > 0:21:07She seemed to hunt extremely efficiently.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09From a cameraman's point of view,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12she normally hunted extremely, behind a bush!
0:21:32 > 0:21:35That's the nature of tigers.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Everyone would say to you, "Did you get a kill, did you get a kill?"
0:21:38 > 0:21:41"Ah well, I got the beginning of it," or, "I got the end of it."
0:21:41 > 0:21:42But don't ask me if I got a kill.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46It's not the most interesting thing tigers do, anyway.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59It's always fascinated me how a tigress tells her cubs,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01how she tells them, I don't know,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04but she tells them to, "Stay there, I'm going off hunting."
0:22:06 > 0:22:09She wouldn't have a chance if she brought them with her.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12And it's very important, too, that she leaves them in a safe place,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15and it's important that the cubs learn to stay there.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19And Machli was incredibly good at this.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22It was just another example, really, of what a great mother she was.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27Close to the water, in the reeds, they were well hidden,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29so no other predators could find them,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32because they were really too young to defend themselves.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45The cubs were able to enjoy a wonderful time,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49because Machli had provided them with safety and security.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06In her absence, they used to get up to all sorts of mischief.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15CROCODILE GROWLS
0:23:20 > 0:23:24Sharing this domain with crocodiles, another apex predator,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27meant that they often came into close contact.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35THEY HONK
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Other than large male tigers,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42crocodiles were the one true adversary for Machli.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19They terrorized the lake waters from above and below.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27And always took advantage of stragglers.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01It was around this time that Machli took them on at their own game.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13This incredible footage shows her killing a fully-grown crocodile,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18and confirmed to me that she was no ordinary tigress.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26She was the true queen of the lakes.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29SHE ROARS
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Everything had been going really well for Machli until then.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41She'd learned how to deal with her mother.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43She'd learned how to deal with her sisters.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45She'd set up an exclusive territory right around the lakes,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48probably the best territory, in terms of prey,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50in the whole of Ranthambhore.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56And the biggest, most powerful male around had fathered her cubs.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04But soon afterwards, Bomboo disappeared,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06and none of us were quite sure why.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10There was a worrying threat that it may have been poaching...
0:26:10 > 0:26:13but one thing we knew for sure,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Machli's life was going to change from this point on.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22A new male was going to move in, and he could be a serious threat
0:26:22 > 0:26:23to Machli's cubs.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28My worst fears were realised
0:26:28 > 0:26:30when I started finding huge male pugmarks
0:26:30 > 0:26:33getting closer and closer to Machli's territory.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47I came to this spot one morning, like any other morning,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50I used to pass through here every day...
0:26:50 > 0:26:53when I suddenly saw the new male, at last,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55had come to the very heart of Machli's territory.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03He was investigating what was going on here.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19The cubs were blissfully unaware of the danger they were in.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33Over the next few weeks, I started to see this male more and more.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35We called him Nick.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46And a new challenge for Machli was,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49how was she going to deal with this new male?
0:27:55 > 0:27:57He was young and inexperienced,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01but he was still huge, compared to her, and a real danger.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07And he tracked her down, he tracked her down relentlessly.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10He just knew where she was.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12TIGERS GROWL
0:28:12 > 0:28:14And he was clearly in the mood for mating,
0:28:14 > 0:28:18and, even more worryingly, he knew where those cubs were.
0:28:22 > 0:28:28So Machli had an incredibly difficult challenge on her hands.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35She was up and down on the ground,
0:28:35 > 0:28:37making sure she wasn't available to him,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40positioning herself very carefully.
0:28:42 > 0:28:43He was sniffing in the scent.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47He was trying to work out exactly what was going on with her.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57And as he walked towards me...
0:28:57 > 0:28:59he seemed very on edge.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01TIGER GROWLS
0:29:03 > 0:29:05When this had been going on for some weeks,
0:29:05 > 0:29:07I came back to this very place,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10and I saw Machli looking very anxious indeed.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16The male was circling her.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24Then they came to this, almost like an arena.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28It was made for a fight, and she just lunged straight at him.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31TIGERS GROWL
0:29:44 > 0:29:45And she beat him.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51It didn't last very long, but tiger fights cannot last long,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54because they would seriously injure each other.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00But what was amazing, at the end of the fight,
0:30:00 > 0:30:04both Machli and the male bowed to each other.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07Now, I'd seen this very same thing happening at the end of mating,
0:30:07 > 0:30:09when there's often aggression.
0:30:09 > 0:30:10But this sort of bow seems to mean,
0:30:10 > 0:30:14"We've had enough, let's not continue with this."
0:30:16 > 0:30:19That's it, the aggression seems to just disappear and they part.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23What she had done, she played a magnificent game
0:30:23 > 0:30:26of combining seductress on the one hand,
0:30:26 > 0:30:28keeping him interested...
0:30:28 > 0:30:29interested enough not to hurt her.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33But he walked away as the injured party.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37He was definitely out of action for a couple of days.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40With a pad cut like that, you can't hunt.
0:30:42 > 0:30:43She had won this encounter,
0:30:43 > 0:30:48and for the sake of her cubs, it was such an important encounter to win.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57And this distinguishes second-rate tigers from first-rate tigers,
0:30:57 > 0:30:59if you like.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01She was the queen of Ranthambhore now -
0:31:01 > 0:31:04she could control this dominant male.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16These days, I've discovered that Machli rarely uses
0:31:16 > 0:31:18these roads like she used to.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29Good, fresh tracks.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31Nice ones.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35'We've been finding sporadic female pugmarks crossing the road
0:31:35 > 0:31:38'in a tiny corner of her former territory.'
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Yeah, these are fresh, these are fresh.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Go on, go on. Chale, chale.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46At last, we've found some physical indication
0:31:46 > 0:31:50that we're actually on her trail, and that she's still alive.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53I knew this wasn't going to be easy,
0:31:53 > 0:31:54because her needs,
0:31:54 > 0:31:57her requirements are so different than they used to be.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59She's now a tigress just surviving on her own.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03So she's keeping a really low profile,
0:32:03 > 0:32:06and that's completely opposite of the Machli I knew.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11Chalo.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13'And although she's in a relatively small area,
0:32:13 > 0:32:16'maybe a couple of square kilometres,
0:32:16 > 0:32:20'if she doesn't move, she's pretty much impossible to find.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23'So I'm starting to get a little concerned as to whether
0:32:23 > 0:32:25'I'm going to see her at all.'
0:32:29 > 0:32:31BIRDS CALL
0:32:33 > 0:32:36Every track and trail in Machli's territory seems to hold some
0:32:36 > 0:32:38sort of memory for me.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46Some of them now look just sort of empty and desolate,
0:32:46 > 0:32:49and you'd think nothing had ever happened there.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52This was the spot. Just in here.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55But on this particular road,
0:32:55 > 0:32:57it looks like a very ordinary piece of road now,
0:32:57 > 0:33:01a most extraordinary event happened one day,
0:33:01 > 0:33:03one I shall never forget, and probably, for me,
0:33:03 > 0:33:07the single greatest thing I ever filmed as a cameraman.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13I shall never forget the day.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18I'd come in the park that morning and she had gone hunting,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21and left the two cubs behind, in cover.
0:33:21 > 0:33:26And a few hours later, way in the distance...
0:33:26 > 0:33:27I heard a roaring.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30TIGER ROARS
0:33:34 > 0:33:37And then it got louder and louder, as she came through the lakes.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39TIGER ROARS
0:33:43 > 0:33:47TIGER ROARS
0:33:51 > 0:33:54She came walking towards me, towards me, towards me,
0:33:54 > 0:33:58roaring all the way, so I knew she was calling the cubs.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17She came right past my vehicle and then lay down on the road.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19And I simply couldn't believe what happened next.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21I heard rustling in the bushes
0:34:21 > 0:34:23and first of all, out stepped the first cub,
0:34:23 > 0:34:27and he lay down on the road, quickly followed by the second one.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30But they weren't just lying beside her and nuzzling her,
0:34:30 > 0:34:33they were actually suckling her.
0:34:33 > 0:34:38They were using their paws to sort of stimulate milk production,
0:34:38 > 0:34:41like they would have done when they were youngsters.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51I don't think anyone had ever recorded a tigress suckling
0:34:51 > 0:34:53almost two-year-old cubs before.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Machli knew what she was doing, that's for sure.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19It's as if she was saying goodbye to her two boys.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29Because that was the last time I ever saw them
0:35:29 > 0:35:30together as a family unit.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39THUNDER RUMBLES
0:35:40 > 0:35:44When the two cubs suddenly disappeared,
0:35:44 > 0:35:45I started to get worried.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49There'd been rumours when Bombooram disappeared, too, that poaching
0:35:49 > 0:35:52was starting again in Ranthambhore.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01It's periodically been a huge problem in this part of the world.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05It turned out that poaching was to blame for the disappearance
0:36:05 > 0:36:08of at least one of Machli's first set of cubs.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20Around this time, poaching accounted for up to 25 tiger deaths
0:36:20 > 0:36:22in Ranthambhore.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27And in the neighbouring tiger reserve of Sariska,
0:36:27 > 0:36:30every single tiger was killed by poaching.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43Ranthambhore is a major religious site
0:36:43 > 0:36:46and pilgrims flock here in huge numbers.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51In fact, over Machli's lifetime perhaps ten million people
0:36:51 > 0:36:54have come into the heart of her territory.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00She knew how to disappear when she needed to disappear,
0:37:00 > 0:37:05and perhaps she was able to detect benign people from dangerous people.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17Although I'd like to believe she had some sort of sixth sense
0:37:17 > 0:37:20and knew how to avoid poachers,
0:37:20 > 0:37:23the truth is she probably survived because she lived
0:37:23 > 0:37:27in the most heavily protected part of Ranthambhore.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30Cattle grazers would sometimes come into her territory
0:37:30 > 0:37:34during the monsoon, but she avoided eating cattle
0:37:34 > 0:37:37and hence avoided coming into conflict.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39Clever girl.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45Perhaps she learned from her mother who had survived
0:37:45 > 0:37:47a similar poaching crisis during the early '90s.
0:37:55 > 0:38:00Our search for Machli is taking us deeper and deeper into the park.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03Fresh pugmarks. Chalo.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08The female pugmarks have become more consistent
0:38:08 > 0:38:11around a little gorge called Lakarda.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16I'm pretty sure now this is where she's got to be.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26Very quiet.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30Peaceful place, isn't it?
0:38:32 > 0:38:35She must be sitting quietly here somewhere.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42'It's one of the most beautiful little bits of the planet.'
0:38:44 > 0:38:47She has always loved this place.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49She was born here, and I'm quite sure
0:38:49 > 0:38:52that this is where she's going to die.
0:38:54 > 0:38:55Worse places to die.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00It's one of the most beautiful little bits of the planet,
0:39:00 > 0:39:02as far as I'm concerned.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08She's brought me to so many beautiful places
0:39:08 > 0:39:09on our journey together.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21HE SIGHS
0:39:25 > 0:39:28Ranthambhore won't be the same without her.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39SHE PANTS
0:39:39 > 0:39:42By the time Machli's first cubs had left her,
0:39:42 > 0:39:43she was about four and a half years old.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49Irony of ironies, that male that she'd fought
0:39:49 > 0:39:54and that male that she could have been killed by...
0:39:59 > 0:40:02..he had now become the dominant male of this area.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08There was this amazing sort of reversal in his fortunes, I suppose.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12She now had to go and befriend him
0:40:12 > 0:40:16and he was to become the father of her second litter.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28In the second litter, there was one male and one female.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34But this time that family was able to be raised
0:40:34 > 0:40:36in the security of having the dominant male around.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38That changed everything for her.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40It became a much more straightforward
0:40:40 > 0:40:42raising of the family.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53She raised four litters, with two in the first, two in the second,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56two in the third, and three in the fourth.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58She's been a wonderful mother
0:40:58 > 0:41:01and by far the most successful tigress in Ranthambhore.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07I think one of the keys to Machli's success was her ability
0:41:07 > 0:41:08to manipulate males.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12I witnessed an incredible example of this
0:41:12 > 0:41:16when she was rearing her third family of two cubs.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Came round the corner, and there in front of me
0:41:21 > 0:41:23was the most amazing sight.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28Machli, fast asleep on the road,
0:41:28 > 0:41:33the most relaxed I'd ever seen her, as were the cubs.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42And then the cubs, as cubs will do, started to get a little bit bored.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45So, one of them got up and started wandering down the road,
0:41:45 > 0:41:47so I thought, "I'll follow."
0:41:51 > 0:41:52And then...
0:41:52 > 0:41:58I noticed the cub was looking slightly alert, slightly anxious...
0:41:58 > 0:42:00and I looked into the bushes at the back,
0:42:00 > 0:42:01and there was another tiger.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07It was a great, big male head.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16If there was no relationship between these animals, the tiger could
0:42:16 > 0:42:17get up and kill that cub, easily.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20So it was a moment of great tension.
0:42:23 > 0:42:29This was the first time I had ever seen the tiger we called X Male,
0:42:29 > 0:42:31because we knew he existed but we never saw him.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35I was absolutely holding my breath.
0:42:46 > 0:42:47TIGER GROWLS
0:42:50 > 0:42:53As soon as he looked up, the cub's posture changed, immediately,
0:42:53 > 0:42:57and he quickly moved in...
0:42:57 > 0:42:59right up beside the tiger
0:42:59 > 0:43:01that was obviously his dad,
0:43:01 > 0:43:03because they started playing with each other.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06So this was the first time
0:43:06 > 0:43:09I had ever really seen a tiger family together.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11And, from a cameraman's point of view, it was mostly hidden,
0:43:11 > 0:43:16slightly behind the bushes, but for me, it meant absolutely everything.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18This was a moment I had always wanted to witness.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20It was happening right in front of me.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37Now, male tigers have big territories
0:43:37 > 0:43:40and they will have several females within their territory...
0:43:40 > 0:43:43possibly several families.
0:43:43 > 0:43:44And it seems to me that they patrol
0:43:44 > 0:43:48and visit each of those families on a regular basis.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50Now Machli, it seemed,
0:43:50 > 0:43:53was allowing this male in to share her kills with her.
0:43:53 > 0:43:58From her point of view, if she gives almost a reward for him
0:43:58 > 0:44:01being in the area,
0:44:01 > 0:44:04he's more likely to come to that area on a regular basis
0:44:04 > 0:44:05and hence, her cubs will be protected
0:44:05 > 0:44:07from the intrusions of other males.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10I'm sure it's something that happens with tigresses generally,
0:44:10 > 0:44:14but it seemed that Machli was very, very good at establishing
0:44:14 > 0:44:16relationships with males throughout her life.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19She's a smart girl, and that relationship she's had with males
0:44:19 > 0:44:22over the years has really fascinated me,
0:44:22 > 0:44:24because it's something we really didn't know
0:44:24 > 0:44:26an awful lot about in tigers.
0:44:33 > 0:44:38Her last litter, three female cubs, all raised successfully.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41This was the perfect situation - Ranthambhore,
0:44:41 > 0:44:42three female cubs on the lakes.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45It was almost like a mirror of what Machli had been through.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47That's how she had been brought up.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54She had held sway in the lakes for almost a decade,
0:44:54 > 0:44:58and her life as a fighter was beginning to take its toll
0:44:58 > 0:45:00on the aging tigress.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02TIGER PANTS
0:45:05 > 0:45:08One thing that a tiger needs to successfully kill
0:45:08 > 0:45:10is good, strong canines.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12They are known as the "killing teeth",
0:45:12 > 0:45:15and Machli was starting to lose her canines.
0:45:17 > 0:45:18TIGER ROARS
0:45:20 > 0:45:22TIGER ROARS
0:45:23 > 0:45:29Each time I saw her, I could see her physical prowess was ebbing away.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34This queen was about to lose her crown
0:45:34 > 0:45:36to one of those closest to her.
0:45:50 > 0:45:54My feeling was that one of these daughters had just inherited
0:45:54 > 0:45:58a bit more of Machli than the other ones.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00Ironically, Machli's success at controlling
0:46:00 > 0:46:02and reproducing with alpha males had resulted
0:46:02 > 0:46:06in this incredibly powerful daughter.
0:46:06 > 0:46:10A worthy rival, with all her cunning and aggression.
0:46:10 > 0:46:15She was ready to kick Machli out and take over the lake territory.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21First, she had to defeat her sisters,
0:46:21 > 0:46:24starting with the youngest and weakest.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33TIGERS GRUNT AND ROAR
0:46:39 > 0:46:43The first encounter was relatively straightforward.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47But her elder sister was bigger and stronger than her.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02TIGERS GRUNT AND ROAR
0:47:07 > 0:47:09With her two sisters out of the way,
0:47:09 > 0:47:12she then turned her attention to her mother.
0:47:15 > 0:47:19And Machli was waiting, almost as if she knew what was going to happen.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26The tables were turned.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29GENTLE GROWLING
0:47:33 > 0:47:35BIRDS SQUAWK
0:47:40 > 0:47:44Machli's reign was about to come to an end.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51TIGER GROWLS
0:47:53 > 0:47:55THEY GRUNT AND ROAR
0:47:55 > 0:47:59That short interaction was all it took.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01A queen deposed by her own daughter.
0:48:01 > 0:48:04TIGER GROWLS
0:48:07 > 0:48:11Machli was intelligent enough to know when to back down.
0:48:18 > 0:48:22This is how she had survived to become something very rare...
0:48:22 > 0:48:23an elderly tigress.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27SHE PANTS
0:48:34 > 0:48:38It was soon after this that she left the lakes for good,
0:48:38 > 0:48:39and began her life as a recluse,
0:48:39 > 0:48:41avoiding all other members of her kind.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46And that's why she's been so hard to find.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08People often refer to tigers as being solitary animals,
0:49:08 > 0:49:12but in fact, Machli has spent much of her life in the company
0:49:12 > 0:49:16of other tigers, with all those families she's raised.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18But now she's a very different animal.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21Now she's got to avoid all contact with members of her kind.
0:49:24 > 0:49:25And that sort of makes me sad,
0:49:25 > 0:49:29to think that she's out there now all by herself, all alone.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34It's a sad old way for such a dominant tigress to sort of...
0:49:35 > 0:49:39for things to end. But...
0:49:39 > 0:49:41I hope I get to see her in the next few days,
0:49:41 > 0:49:44cos I've a feeling if I don't, I'll never see her again.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49I wonder where she is right now.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03SHE PANTS
0:50:03 > 0:50:05Once she was kicked out of the lakes,
0:50:05 > 0:50:09Machli had to find a new way of surviving in her old age.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15Making kills was now really difficult for her.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18She'd lost all her canines.
0:50:18 > 0:50:19But one thing's for sure,
0:50:19 > 0:50:24when she was lucky enough to make a kill, she wanted to protect it.
0:50:29 > 0:50:33But protecting your hard-earned meal from other tigers
0:50:33 > 0:50:36can be fraught with danger.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44And there's nothing more dangerous than a marauding male.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46TIGER PANTS
0:50:52 > 0:50:54She needs to stay out of his way.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06I have never seen a tiger look more nervous.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11It was really hard for me to watch.
0:51:15 > 0:51:17But she still wasn't going away.
0:51:25 > 0:51:30The sight of him stealing her kill is just too much for her,
0:51:30 > 0:51:33and she lets him know she's not happy.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36That is not a good idea.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38SHE GROWLS
0:51:39 > 0:51:41THEY GRUNT AND ROAR
0:51:52 > 0:51:54She just doesn't give up.
0:52:07 > 0:52:08A fighter till the bitter end.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16After all these years, that feistiness
0:52:16 > 0:52:22that first attracted me to her has not diminished in the slightest.
0:52:22 > 0:52:26That's what makes Machli so special to me.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45It's my final day here.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00Strange feeling.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03I've been thinking about this day for some time.
0:53:16 > 0:53:17BIRDS SQUAWK
0:53:23 > 0:53:26I'm sure Machli's in here.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29If I was to guess, I'd say that she's been on a carcass,
0:53:29 > 0:53:33because I can hear the sounds of crows and treepies in there.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35And she should move.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40She should move, because it's getting warmer and warmer.
0:53:42 > 0:53:44And if I know Machli...
0:53:44 > 0:53:48by the time it gets to maybe ten o'clock this morning,
0:53:48 > 0:53:50it'll be about 110 degrees,
0:53:50 > 0:53:52and she'll move to water,
0:53:52 > 0:53:55cos she loves sitting in the water.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00But whatever happens, I'm not going to move from this place all day.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08BIRDS CALL
0:54:08 > 0:54:11I think there's some movement going on, peacock alarm calls.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16I think she's on the move.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22She's coming, she's coming.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24She's coming.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06She looks beautiful. Just beautiful.
0:55:08 > 0:55:11SHE PANTS
0:55:37 > 0:55:42'This whole jungle will be empty without her, that's for sure...
0:55:42 > 0:55:45'when she goes, but I'm kind of glad I came to see her now
0:55:45 > 0:55:49'and I'm leaving her looking good.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53'I have no desire to see her when she's dead.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55'I don't need that.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58'I prefer just to see her...
0:55:58 > 0:56:01'looking healthy, well-fed, well-watered.'
0:56:03 > 0:56:05Because this whole...
0:56:12 > 0:56:15I guess, you know, we've been on a long journey together,
0:56:15 > 0:56:17Machli and I, 13 years.
0:56:40 > 0:56:44You know, I'm so glad I came to see her for the last time.
0:56:44 > 0:56:46It's like, even in my personal life, I've always tried to go
0:56:46 > 0:56:50and see people before they've died and not go to their funerals.
0:56:50 > 0:56:51That's just the way I prefer it.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54It seems to me it makes a lot more sense.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56And to have been able to come back here
0:56:56 > 0:56:59and to see Machli still looking in good health...
0:56:59 > 0:57:03still at least in a tiny part of her former territory, still alive,
0:57:03 > 0:57:04looking good,
0:57:04 > 0:57:09and leaving her today, lying in the shade of a jamun tree.
0:57:09 > 0:57:12That's the image I'm going to take away from this place.
0:57:30 > 0:57:35I'll never have a relationship with another wild tiger like that again.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39People say there are more tigers in the forest...
0:57:39 > 0:57:42you know, "There's plenty of fish in the sea."
0:57:42 > 0:57:43But not for me.
0:57:45 > 0:57:47That's a once-in-a-lifetime.
0:58:08 > 0:58:11Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd