Union Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday said 'Collarwali', the famous tigress of Madhya Pradesh's Pench Tiger Reserve who died on Saturday, will be "acutely missed" and her contribution to restoring the ecological balance by improving the tiger population in India will always be remembered.
The 17-year-old tigress, also known as T15, had earned the tag of "supermom" for giving birth to 29 cubs in eight litters during 11 years, between 2008 and 2018.
"Collarwali, the legendary tigress of Madhya Pradesh's Pench Tiger Reserve, who many lovingly called Super Mom, will be acutely missed," the environment and forest minister said in a tweet.
"Her contribution to restoring the ecological balance by improving the tiger population in India will always be remembered," he added.
'Collarwali' died around 6.15 pm on Saturday at the Karmajhiri range of the reserve due to old age, according to the Pench Tiger Reserve.
A team of foresters had been keeping a watch on the big cat's health for the past one week.
The tigress, who looked very weak due to old age, was last seen on January 14 by Pench Tiger Reserve visitors.
According to experts, the average age of a tiger is about 12 years.
