A TIGER HUNT WITH TWENTY-FIVE MIDDLE GRADE STUDENTS

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Tiger Moon is a jungle lodge at the edge of the Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan, India. Tiger Moon offers a drive deep into the forest in open trucks and jeeps to give tourists glimpses of the tigers that live and roam around the forest.

“It’s an experience far more exciting than your wildest imagination.” That’s what the ad said.

Everyone at our international school in Mumbai said, “Yes!” We were excited and offered the trip to our middle schoolers. But on second thought, I began to think about piling our kids in an open truck, as they advertised. What if we encountered a tiger? What if he was hungry? Could he jump into our truck? Could he jump that high?

When I checked online, it said, “Animal experts are not sure how high a tiger can jump because each time a record is set, another tiger breaks it. However, tigers in captivity have been seen jumping as high as 12 to 15 feet in the air.” If they jump that high in captivity, I wondered, how much higher might they jump when they are free?

Since other schools had recommended it, we decided to go. As we traveled through the trails in our open truck bed, we all watched everything that moved, trying to be the first one to see a glimpse of a tiger. We met a photographer from National Geographic sitting in his open jeep with his camera on a tripod. His feet were stretched out across the jeep, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world. He wasn’t in a high truck bed like ours, and he didn’t have a rifle or any weapons. The only shooting he was ready for was with his camera. That made all of us feel better.

Finally, we heard “shhhhhh” from our driver, and in the distance, padding along in silence was a tiger. The kids were mesmerized. No one moved or spoke. Not even a tiny groan.

He turned to look at us as he padded by, not too close, and not too far away. Perhaps he wanted to be sure we saw him and understand that he was not interested in chomping us to death. But to let us know that he was in charge of the forest and that our silence paid reverence to him.

The kids were awestruck. Some took photos. As we returned to the lodge, their conversations were in reverent tones, unlike the sounds middle schoolers usually make.

As we arrived at our hotel, one of the seventh-grade girls felt sick and complained of pain in the lower right side of her abdomen. Our first response was to call for help. One of the teachers got on his cell phone and tried to call her parents. There was no reception.

He left the hotel and went from one location to another, trying to find a spot high enough to call. There were no doctors in the area, and we were a long way from home. Finally, we decided that one of us would drive her home. By the grace of God, she made it. Her appendix was getting ready to burst, but she was saved just in time.

All the worry about the tiger was unnecessary. A concern we didn’t even imagine was to make sure there was emergency help nearby. I wonder what the park does if someone does get injured in the jungle? Maybe the king of the jungle knows.

The photos were taken at the park.