Tiger: Spy in the Jungle

Four 10-day-old tiger cubs, two females and two males, are living in the Indian jungle. This is their mother's first litter and the cubs insist on tumbling out of the den, only to be carried delicately back to safety in her massive jaws. As they grow, their diet changes from their mother's milk to meat. At 14 weeks they can eat over a kilo of meat a day between them - the equivalent of 20 large steaks. It's a good job that this tigress is such a skilled hunter and that spotted and sambar deer are so plentiful. Charger, their imposing father, keeps his distance but helps to protect his vulnerable offspring from rogue male tigers and leopards. Life seems sweet, until one day the cubs are left home alone and one of their greatest threats, an Indian leopard is near by.

The cubs are half grown and still pretty playful but it's time to learn the hunting and fighting skills they'll need as adults. Play fighting erupts between them - it looks nasty, but their claws are never drawn. The young tigers have huge appetites and their mother must hunt successfully most days to satisy them. When they're not eating, playing or fighting, the cubs sleep - and tigers love water, so a cooling water hole is perfect on a steaming day. The spy cameras show that this wallow is also a magnet for a whole array of other forest animals, including wild boar and sloth bears. The cubs are starting to behave as individuals and take personal hunting tuition from their mother. Then disaster strikes when both their parents are injured, and a rogue male tiger puts in an appearance. They still have a lot to learn.

The cubs' mother loses patience as they learn to hunt on their own.