Khairi — an astounding tale of a tigress who loved humans

Khairi — a name many of my times will remember, a timeless memory from my childhood. A tigress who grew up at the home of a forest conservator in Odisha, and enthralled the entire nation for many years.

As we introduce Cheetah in India and a political slugfest that breaks out about who brought them, who cared for them, who photographed them, and who will die for them — Khairi and its human family (all of whom are long deceased) stands out as an innocent but distant story of the fellowship of man and wild.

The story started on 5th October 1974 when an abandoned tiger cub was found near the banks of the Khairi river in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. The members of the Kharia tribal community, who found it, did not know and did what they felt was logical — brought it to the house of Saroj Raj Choudhury.

Born in Odisha in 1924, Saroj Choudhury was then the founder and Field Director of the Simlipal Tiger Reserve at Mayurbhanj, a place very close to the Eastern Ghats. Just above forty then, Saroj Choudhury was already a name to reckon with for wildlife conservation. In 1972 he introduced the pugmark methodology of tiger census — which remained the preferred methodology till 2004 (when the camera tracking methods were adopted).

Concerned about the safety of the cub, Saroj Choudhury and his wife Nihar Nalini Swain adopted her. Named Khairi, the pub soon grew up — but contrary expectations remained with the family just like a pet. The Choudhurys also had a hyena, a crocodile, and a bear, apart from dogs. Khairi was with friends with all of them. Many attempts to leave her in the wild failed — she always came back.

Saroj Choudhury, who is often called the father of wildlife conservation in India, did not miss this research opportunity. Apart from adopting Khairi as a child, he also spent an enormous times with her watching her behavior and documenting the same. Some of the pioneering work, including those in pheromones, came out of these years.

I remember Khairi becoming immensely popular during those days. There was news about her in the newspapers, and one Bengali poet wrote a poem about her, which many discourses. I understand that there had been very few instances of wild tigers staying with humans for long, and Khairi had been an exception in never showing any aggression to the Choudhurys or the countess visitors who came to meet her.

However, in 1981, Khairi was bitten by a rabid dog who broke into her compound and contracted rabies. Sagar Choudhury was in Delhi, and by the time he reached back, nothing could be done. Khairi was put to sleep.

Not long after, in 1983 at the young age of 59, Saroj Choudhury died. Many said he could never recover from the loss of his life. His wife Nihar Nalini Swain, who was the adoring mother of Khairi, later moved to an old age home. She died in 2021, at 88. I suppose Khairi was their only kid.

Thus ended the beautifully tragic story of a man and tiger friendship — finally. And with that a small part of my happy memories. Curiously rekindled with the four Cheetas coming to India. Hope they too will get the same love and care as Khairi.