The last tiger

It is heartening that a Tiger Rescue Service (Star Magazine, 18 Mar 11) has been initiated. TRS needs all the encouragement and funds to protect the 400+ tigers remaining. The report incorrectly stated that the last wild tiger, Sundarbans apart, was killed in Bhawal Madhupur in the 40s. In the winter of 1961-62, while proceeding up a steep slope in dense jungle at about 8 am to my timber extraction site from my camp about 8 miles upstream of Chema Jhiri in Bandarbans, I suddenly became aware of a strange silence prevailing all around. I stood still at one end of the narrow path. Suddenly a large tiger silently emerged from the undergrowth on to the path at the other end (maybe 20 yards away), stopped and for an eternity, we looked at each other. Then it disappeared.