International Tiger Day: I celebrate tigers every single day of my life, says Sadaa

Time of India

4 days ago

Spotting the big cat. The tracking is equally interesting because it's like a treasure hunt. But the ultimate kick comes when you see the big cat, says actress Sadaa.
'I celebrate tigers every single day of my life. I'm obsessed with them,' says actress-turned-wildlife photographer Sadaa Sayed. This International Tiger Day, July 29, she opens up to us about her unconditional love for tigers and says, 'Tigers are important for the proper functioning of our ecosystem.
So, observing such a day is necessary to raise awareness about their importance.'
'I thought there was no such thing as human-tiger contact until I came to know about Avni'
I've always been an animal lover, but somewhere I used to feel that tigers are meant to be in the wild. I thought there was no such thing as humans and tigers crossing the line or getting into contact until I came to know about the tigress Avni. She — a mother of two cubs — was shot dead because she allegedly killed humans. She was not from a tiger reserve, but the jungle.
That left a big impact on me. Until then, I knew about tiger safaris happening in various tiger reserves of our country, but I was never inclined to go on one.
'IN MY FIRST SAFARI, I SAW THE P151 TIGRESS WITH HER TWO CUBS'
In October 2021, I was shooting for a film ( Ahimsa ) in Panna, Madhya Pradesh. We were put up in a property that was right outside the gate of the core zone of the reserve, called Madla. I'd see a lot of people going on safaris when I'd leave for the shoot in the morning. I was intrigued and thought I might as well do a couple of safaris while I was there.
In my very first safari, I happened to see the P151 tigress with her two cubs. That brought back memories of Avni and her two cubs.
Then, I went to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, where I saw more tigers.
'A TIGER WALKING TOWARDS OUR GYPSY BLEW MY MIND'
The next month, I was shooting in Jabalpur and thought, I'd go to Kanha Tiger Reserve. That was a turning point for me. We had a tiger walking head-on towards our gypsy and that blew my mind. A species that is so misunderstood and people are afraid of was walking towards our gypsy without scaring us and not being frightened about human presence.
I felt if this is what safaris are all about, then this is what I want to do. From then on, I decided I'd do this every month.
Now, it's come to a point where I'm mostly in the jungle.
'THERE'S SO MUCH MISCONCEPTION WHEN IT COMES TO THE BIG CATS'
There's so much misconception when it comes to wildlife, especially tigers. People are scared of them, but at the same time, they aren't afraid to visit a tiger park in Thailand, where they are able to hug and let the tiger climb on their shoulder — though in a sedated state, as the animal is intoxicated and abused.
That's considered OK, but when I go to the jungle, I'm asked, 'Aren't you scared?' There's nothing to be scared of because those animals are calm and composed.
It's their home and they know that we are just visiting them for a couple of hours.
'Tiger tourism is an ecosystem in itself'
I'm able to only document 10 per cent on social media of what I actually end up seeing in jungles. I vlog about my safaris because I want to encourage people to go on them. The moment you go to a tiger reserve, you realise that tiger tourism is an ecosystem in itself, and you're supporting the locals.
A lot of villagers have been relocated from the core of the forest to the outskirts. Now, if they can't depend on the forest for their livelihood, they need to be given some other source of income.
And tiger tourism does that. When you take a safari, you've a driver, safari guides, etc... So, all of these people depend on tiger tourism for their livelihood.
My favourite tiger reserves…
Panna is the first tiger reserve I visited and is close to my heart. Tadoba is another favourite, because a lot of my favourite tigers are there.
Then, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, and Corbett.
My favourite part of tiger safaris...
Spotting the big cat. The tracking is equally interesting because it's like a treasure hunt. But the ultimate kick comes when you see the big cat.
SADAA'S TIGER TALES
'I've been mostly lucky, but there are times I've returned empty-handed from safaris'
Sometimes, you get really lucky spotting the tiger, and I've been mostly lucky. But there are times when you end up coming back from the safari empty-handed. You have to be at the right place at the right time. There have been times when I've reached a spot been told, 'The tiger just walked inside the bushes.'
So, you can miss seeing the tiger by seconds, but again, that is what makes it thrilling.
'Now, a film offer should be so good to make me give up on being in the jungle'
Earlier, if a project came my way and if the director, producer, and the script looked fine, I'd say OK. But now, it has to be so good that I should be OK giving up not being in the jungle. I'm a passionate photographer, though not a professional. I'm not selling my content anywhere or giving my pictures for printing. I don't get any monetary benefits.