National Geographic Television presents an unprecedented look at the endangered Bengal tiger.

Deep in the forests of central India, the Bengal tiger, one of the most efficient predators in the world, is being pursued. Riding atop an elephant, two National Geographic filmmakers track a 12-year-old tigress, keeping an eye on her movements and the health of her three new cubs. It’s another day in a two-year odyssey for filmmakers Hugh Miles and Chip Houseman. “Tigers of Kanha” is an intimate portrait of a tiger’s struggle to raise her cubs and survive the significant odds against her success. This new National Geographic Special airs only on NBC, Saturday, April 10, 1999, at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Producer Hugh Miles plans to film all of the big cats in the wild—it’s part of a personal endeavor he calls the Feline Connection. He hopes “Tigers of Kanha” will contribute to a deeper understanding of the precarious existence of the elusive tiger. No one has captured interactions of a tiger family in the wild for this long, and it has been a grueling and patience-testing time for the National Geographic team. But the payoffs are immense. Guided by Bir Singh, the chief forest guide, Hugh and Chip were introduced to a female tiger called Lakshmi, named after the Hindu goddess of fortune, and her three cubs. They followed the tigress for two whole years, recording the challenges she faced while trying to raise a family.

In the heart of the forests depicted in Kipling’s Jungle Book “Tigers of Kanha” reveals a wildlife patrol’s unflagging dedication to the protection of the Kanha preserve. Set aside to protect tigers, Kanha is still a wilderness harboring dangers for Lakshmi and the cubs. Every day the mother tigress has to defend her cubs and her territory, a lush area of meadows and jungle in the breathtaking preserve. Here viewers can peak into the crucial time during a tiger’s life when the focus is on protecting and raising cubs. At 12, Lakshmi is old for the demanding life of a mother tigress in the wild. But having successfully raised several litters in the past, the odds were in her favor.

Lakshmi and other tigers in Kanha can look to the rangers living in a nearby village for protection from poachers, but the rangers can’t interfere with an aggressive male who wants to take over her territory. If a male tiger challenges the father of Lakshmi’s cubs and causes him to lose his dominant status, the conqueror may try to kill the cubs. As every tiger cub is precious to the survival of the species, the rangers keep account of such rumblings between rivals. Other dangers lurk in the forest as well. Wild dogs moving through the area in packs of up to 30 often launch attacks and make defense of the vulnerable cubs difficult.

At one point in “Tigers of Kanha,” Bir Singh comes across a sight that doesn’t bode well for Lakshmi; it is a male tiger and he’s been in a fierce battle. Bir Singh suspects that he might have tried to take territory away from the father of Lakshmi’s cubs. Without any sight or sound of the tigress, Singh is unaware if Lakshmi is wounded or dead. He spearheads a desperate search to find them.

A crucial moment is being played out in the lives of our stars, and Lakshmi is on the defensive. Riding atop of his elephant, Bir Singh guides the National Geographic Television crew deeper into the jungle to find Lakshmi. She is finally found alive, but wounded. Her cubs are fine—fat and happy. But it isn’t Lakshmi’s last run-in with the rapacious male tiger.

Singh and his men later find a dead male tiger, a clear sign that this tiger means business. Singh and his men are worried, so the hunt is on to locate Lakshmi yet again. This time the guards find the head of a weeks-old cub and a very distressed mother.

The search for Lakshmi took longer this time. What follows is an account of how the cubs survive without their mother, who retreats into the forest to recover. Alone, the cubs attempt to mimic their mother’s hunting skills, and viewers see the obstacles they face when left alone at an early age. “Tigers of Kanha” is even able to capture a significant incongruity in the jungle when Lakshmi’s lone female cub, separated from her brothers, attempts to horn in on another tiger family. Amazingly, the cub is accepted and becomes part of a new family.

With careful protection, there’s hope that Lakshmi and her cubs, and all future generations of tigers will be safe to live out their sometimes dangerous lives. With unique places such as Kanha providing secure havens, there is still hope that these wonderful cats will survive in the wild—forever.

National Geographic Television (NGT) is a world leader in the production of award-winning documentary specials, series, and docudramas. NGT is one of the few producing companies in the world that has a filmmaking unit devoted exclusively to natural history. The Natural History Unit, under the direction of Keenan Smart, has its own team of scientists and area specialists with connections to the best scientists and filmmakers around the world. Since 1995 the National Geographic Specials have aired on NBC.