Broken Tail: A Tiger's Last Journey

In this episode from the PBS-aired NATURE series, wildlife photographer Colin Stafford-Johnson leads a team tracking the sad story of a young Bengal tiger called Broken Tail and his family in India's Ranthambhore National Park. Such creatures once roamed over much of the country, but today the estimated 1,400 remaining tigers are mostly confined to preserves. Born at Ranthambhore, Broken Tail was a playful male cub who grew to be a natural young leader before he suddenly disappeared when he was about two-and-a-half years old. Eventually his body was found 200 miles away from his home area—apparently struck by a train after running through farmland and scrub. Why did Broken Tail wander off the reserve? Was he driven by the desire to mate or to claim new territory? Stafford-Johnson spent 600 days at Ranthambhore, attempting to re-create Broken Tail's last journey, while also telling the troubling tale of nature conservation efforts in India, where tigers are threatened by traps and poachers (who can bag an animal for a $100 bounty). The conservationist paints a bleak picture for the survival of the species in the wild, yet holds out hope that some might be saved if the impoverished local human population can be convinced of the potential economic benefits related to tourism. DVD extras include additional scenes. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)