Untamed Pench

Mowgli and friends from Rudyard Kipling's 'The Jungle Book

The world knows Mowgli as a wolf-child from Kipling's most popular work of fiction. But Sir Sleeman's pamphlet says a wolf-child did really exist in 1831.

This tale has been around for years. Sir William Henry Sleeman's pamphlet, 'An Account of Wolves Nurturing Children in Their Dens', talks of a boy, living in the company of wolves, captured by Lieutenant John Moor after camping for a month in Seoni.

It is believed that this pamphlet caught Rudyard Kipling's attention, inspiring him to write 'The Jungle Book'. What makes this theory believable is the fact that the places mentioned in the book do really exist.

What an experience it would be to visit these places in Pench! And for the child within you, who's still a die-hard fan of Mowgli, there is a Pench Mowgli Sanctuary in the reserve.

Collarwali - the star tigress of Pench

Soon after she was born in 2005, the forest officials had named her T-15. But soon the locals started calling her Collarwali because of the radio collar around her neck. Collarwali was born to famous parents Badi Mada (Big Mother) and Charger, a famously ferocious male.

Collarwali’s popularity rose when she starred in the popular documentary series - Spy in the Jungle, which was shot using trunk cameras tied to elephants. The series documented Collarwali and her siblings playing, cuddling, fighting, learning, hunting and generally growing up. Like all tigers, Collarwali too struck out soon after and marked her own territory. She became a regular sight to a growing number of Park visitors, and she earned their admiration for her majesty and grace.