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AssetID : 36342733
Headline : Three Wild Young Tigers Play In Water
Caption : Wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein captured these stunning images of young tiger brothers play-fighting in water this week.

He spotted the three 11-month-olds having a cool bonding session in the heat of Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, India, on Tuesday (30 April) .

Wimbledon-based Paul, who guides for Exodus Travels (www.exodus.co.uk), says the remarkable sequence was shot in 40 degree heat.

He explains: "Anyone who thinks cats do not like water have clearly not been to Bandhavgarh National Park recently.

"I have waited twenty years to see a watery cat fight like this. It was such a pleasure and for half an hour these three 11 month old brothers fought with tenacity and abandon. These skills are essential for hunting later in life, but I could not help thinking some of the amphibious disciplines were more indulgence.'

"This is the mother's - Dotty's (a curious name for a 'striped' predator) - first litter and these three musketeers, although having seemingly very different characters, are in rude good health, a wonderful sight for such a persecuted species.

When you guide wildlife fans, moments like this are utter joy, the grail, and we were grinning like Cheshire cats after, whilst the three of them went off to rest - a cat nap if you like.

The fate of the striped predators is profoundly important to Paul, who has run 15 marathons in his now fabled tiger suit. In it, he has climbed Kilimanjaro and run below the Taj Mahal. Next year (in 2020) he plans on taking his fifty year old body and 12 foot high companion back on the streets of his home marathon - London, and then to take on the big one - the Everest Marathon. So far he has raised $200,000 for projects in his beloved Bandhavgarh. He wants to double that in 2020.

It is ten years since he ran his first one dressed up in stripes, Everest will definitely be his last. He puts it another way: "The campaign is called Worth More Alive. A tigress like Dotty is worth far more alive than on the slab, victim of a poachers bullet. Dead, parceled-up piecemeal, its body parts would have an illegal value of around $30,000. Alive, benefiting thousands of local people and with many ancillary benefactors, living a long and fertile life, it could be $50m.

"Worth More Alive? You bet they are, but unless sufficient local people feel the financial warmth of their orange neighbours they will not join the fight to protect them.

"Scenes like this mask the human race's disgraceful record on protecting rare and endangered animals like tigers and rhinos. The insidious demands of traditional Chinese medicine have wreaked havoc on their numbers. This is medicine with no medical provenance and utterly unnecessary, so when you find strongholds like Bandhavgarh rather than grisly Chinese holding facilities it gives you some hope."

Paul Guides photographic safaris all over the world and works for Exodus Travels (www.exodus.co.uk).
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