Veterinarian Akhilesh Mishra has been treating animals in Pench National Park in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India, for 22 years. He does not shy away from calling the tiger his favourite animal. "They are so magnificent and beautiful. I only need to feel their soft fur to feel calm," he says. "When I treat an injured tiger and it can then return to the forest, it is a transcendental experience."

A. Mishra says that a tiger's life is not easy, especially for females: "In my opinion, a tigress is much stronger than a male tiger. She fights so fearlessly for her cubs. She is like a goddess – ready to face a huge tiger that is trying to harm her cubs."

The tigers he has treated have mostly been injured while hunting or protecting their cubs. However, he has also treated tigers that have been poisoned by poachers – who have put poison into the pools where tigers drink.

"My heart aches when I see them being killed through no fault of their own, just to obtain their skin, claws and teeth," says the experienced veterinarian.
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