‘Dynasties’ Recap: ‘Tiger’

 Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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Over the past few weeks, we’ve been treated to quite the inside look when it comes to the animal kingdom by way of BBC America’s fantastic new series Dynasties, and thus far what we’ve learned is that the natural world can be quite cruel. For the first couple of episodes in this phenomenal documentary have shown us some supremely harrowing moments involving the Lion and the Chimpanzee as they worked to see their family lines survive. And as I settled in to watch the next chapter of this beautiful series, ‘Tiger’, I have to admit that I was quite curious as to whether or not we would see these majestic felines receive a bit of a break when it comes to their daily strife.
 
Which is not meant to be a knock on the show by any means, because I truly do praise the fact that this series is showing nature in its rawest state. But hey, it would be nice to see at least one of these species have a little less of a burden to bear, and as fate would have it, the Tiger in question in this particular tale, Raj Behra, seemingly had less troubles to endure than some of the other animals we’ve seen thus far. Part of that may be attributed to the fact that Raj and her family of cubs just so happen to live in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in India, a place that Raj and 84 others of her kind call home and being in a place such as this, with far less natural threats present in her world, allowed for us to bear witness to the fascinating family dynamic of these proud felines.
 
For over the course of the hour, we watched Raj raise her young, and saw her work hard to ensure their survival, since she was constantly on the hunt for food for them and patrolling the perimeter to make sure that her babies were kept safe from other tigers that might wish to harm them. And as they grew older, we saw her gently nudge them toward learning how to fend for themselves, and honestly, this was just fascinating and beautiful to watch. For not only were her cubs, heart-meltingly cute, it was simply incredible to watch how she reared her young and how she trained them to make use of their natural instincts, and I truly learned a lot about the tiger and how they learn to hunt during this segment of the story.
 
Yet while this particular tale offered up plenty of cheerful moments, there were still roadblocks for Raj and her family to overcome. Because unfortunately for Raj, she was unable to properly balance her time between raising a family and patrolling the perimeter and that eventually led to an unfortunate confrontation, one that badly wounded her and prevented her from feeding her family. And this setback sent her daughter out into the world on her own to look for food, and she was never to be seen again and eventually, it prompted Raj to travel out into the domain of mankind, which is never a good idea for a wild animal, but thanks to the right people, she was quietly returned to her home, where she could once more keep a watchful eye on her nearly grown sons.
 
If anything, what I am truly coming to enjoy about this particular series, is the sheer fact that every single episode is offering something different. No two stories are the same, and every journey brings something special to the table and this, was just a beautiful tale of a loving mother who did everything and anything for her children and it was truly magical to learn that the tiger, a species that is often portrayed in popular media as fierce and cunning and bloodthirsty, can be so gentle and loving and protective. And, once again I am left wanting more when it comes to this majestic series and it’s back to counting down the minutes until next Saturday when Dynasties provides us with another fascinating look into family life in the animal kingdom. Until then. 

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