Its been more than 10 years I have done any tiger specific safari or expedition. Never even thought of doing one. It was always the rainforest or high altitude Himalayas for me. My photography journey started in a rainforest romancing with herpetofauna, till date its continuing. May be this is the reason I was not very inclined to watch tigers in wild very frequently. Apart from that the tiger tourism drama was bit too much for me to digest. Though I totally admire them as they are the most charismatic animal on this planet. Even I had a life changing episode when I saw my first tiger in the wild. Details are there in the following link.
https://depthofdreams.com/2020/09/my-affair-with-big-cats-tiger/: An Ageing Woman, and The Tigers..!! (Tale of Bandhavgarh)The thought of seeing tiger again in the wild was intrigued due to my knee surgery which made me restrict on walking and trekking, which is an indispensable part of herping trips. That I am not yet ready to make one. The agony of being restricted in one place and left deserted, was affecting me mentally and leads to many physical issues with hormonal imbalance due to extreme medicines administered on me for my recovery post surgery. Age factor was added to it as well. In short I am getting old much earlier than expected. This is something not easy to accept and you have no other option than accepting it. Women in mid-age can very well understand what I am talking about and what a woman goes through in this phase of life. Its not easy to accept defeat in everything you do. But “ACCEPT” is the key word now, which my heart and mind is not ready to, and they were dragging me inside an endless dark loop within myself. The time has come to break this loop else I would lose myself. I need to do something which gives me a little sense of achievement so that I can break this loop and come out.
Hence tiger safari seems a feasible option, where in comfort of safari vehicle I can get that sense of achievement. Apart form that, one of my good friend, guide and mentor in herpetofauna from Sri Lanka wanted to see tigers in India. Chanaka is much younger than me but in herpetofauna knowledge he is way too elder. He was very adamant and head strong not to use common names for the species and that made me learn and have grip on scientific names. Hence I consider him as my guide and mentor. During my herping trips to Sri Lanka it was like my wish was his command. So I get a chance to make his wish as my command.
Why Bandhavgarh?? There is reason to it. The last tiger specific expedition I did was in Bandhavgarh where I didn’t even get to see a tiger properly. No one will believe, someone even can achieve that. The details are in the following link.
https://suchismitakoulaskar.wordpress.com/bandhavgarh/: An Ageing Woman, and The Tigers..!! (Tale of Bandhavgarh)So there was a rebel in my mind that I should go back and break that notion. Otherwise Ranthambore was my first choice where I saw my first tiger in wild.
Rest of the planning and booking were done well in advance and we landed in Bandhavgarh with a day long journey from Bangalore – Hyderabad – Jabalpur – Bandhavgarh. By the time we reached Bandhavgarh it was almost nearing mid night. Next early morning our safari starts and Gudda Bhai was well in advance to pick us up. Meeting Gudda Bhai and Radha after 10 years was an extreme joy. I was so amazed by how he remembers each and every aspect of the funs we had in the last trip. We three girls met in that trip for first time and became friends forever. We were the most noisiest and excited bunch, even without seeing any tiger.
With my earlier experience with Bandhavgarh I was in dilemma what will happen. There was a conflict going on in my mind. Experience says I am not that lucky in Bandhavgarh but may be my 10 years tiger luck will be paid off with interest. The later was turned out to be correct. First we got a very fade glimpse of a female tiger with her cubs walking deep inside the shrubs and bushes. That just we can say there are tigers and we saw it. Then towards end of the safari, when Gudda bhai took the vehicle towards one of the most beautiful part of the park, we saw one wild elephant and next to it one Forest offer vehicle was there. We just turned back thinking no one is there. When the same forest officer crossing our vehicle, he mentioned there was a tiger why you come back. Gudda Bhai was like Elephant was there so we thought to turn back. Forest officer ” Why.. Did u think that elephant would have eaten you.” These are the exact conversation. With an instance Gudda Bhai, turn the vehicle and went straight to the point. By that time there were so many vehicles were lined up. One thing I really appreciate in Bandhavgarh is that, all the guides and drivers are so disciplined and posses a very strong unity among themselves. The moment we arrive, they just give us way to have a glimpse of the female sub-adult tiger who is slowly walking on the edge of the hill under the bushes. My fist glimpse of the strips after a decade.
I got back that sense of achievement for which I made this trip. Chanaka too saw his first tiger in the wild. Tiger has this impact on me. Again my hands were trembling, heavy breathing and legs were shaking, so also my images of tiger. I had to take few deep breath to calm myself, then click the shutter again.
Finally my decade of tiger luck accumulated and paid off when she saw me through the bushes. Then she again started to walk and settle down on the rock. Chanaka and I were discussing on the behaviour of tigers vs Leopard. As he came from country of leopards and he is well versed with their behaviour . Leopards are more shy and they just run away in presence of human being. Whereas tigers are illusive. They try their level best not to come in human visibility. But even they come, it doesn’t matter to them much unless you cross the boundary of their personal space. And if you cross that personal space, I don’t have to tell you what happens.
That was indeed an amazing first safari. It has never happened in any of the tiger expedition that I saw tiger in very first safari. A very strong luck is definitely working here.
With all excitement we are set to explore the second safari in Magadhi Zone. The first one obviously has to be Tala Zone. The weather was clear with usual central Indian summer. I found out I haven’t got my sunscreen neither sun protection sleeves. All set to get burned now. In Bandhavgarh apart from tiger, the safari fun is another level. The stories of Gudda bhai and Indresh Bhai was no engaging that there was not a single dull moment in all the salaries.. Tigers or no tigers, the laughters were never left the safari vehicle.
The vehicle was just cruising through the forest track with lots of co-ordination, discussions with other vehicles and sometime waiting on a spot with warning calls from langurs and peacocks. Then during one of those waiting time when Gudda bhai and Indresh Bhai were asking me if we can leave the place and go other side to try our luck, suddenly someone form the adjacent vehicle shouted, TIGER. That person was in front of me.. I just turned back and saw the most elegant walk of the most gorgeous girl I ever met.
The golden light of the late afternoon sun was adding to her beauty. I was fortunate enough to watch her moves while she came down to the water hole. She just scrutinise the water for a while and very swiftly enter the water.
When tiger appears, the whole atmosphere of the forest gets aligned with. It seems every single entity in the forest was celebrating the queen. The Grebes were splattering the water by flying here and there. The frogs in the water just jumping around. she just sat in the water, drank some and started enjoying the whole attention.
After some time she just got up from the water and vanished inside the bushes again. This sight was purely unexpected. Not even a single warning call. All Safari vehicles are just relaxed and chit chatting among themselves. Then suddenly she appears from the hillock behind the water hole. This says a lot about tiger characteristic.
Our vehicle started to leave the place as she left. There were informations of movement of another female and her four cubs. We were waiting in a place where they were expected to appear. After some time there was a frantic signal from other vehicle and not sure what Gudda bhai understood and he just rush to another place without saying a single word.
When we arrive there, the female and the cub are already in the grass land. Female was in good vicinity but the cubs were playing bit far away. But she was having a watchful eyes on the cubs.
This is the first time I am seeing such a young cub in the wild. It’s absolute cuteness overloaded but a ferocious element in making, behind it.
She is such a proud mother to have such magnificent cubs, who are the future of this apex predator. It always gives sense of relief to see the next generation flourish. Something we can leave for our next generations to come.
While we were enjoying their amazing family time, suddenly the male tiger appeared. He was very close to the vehicles. He just walk upto the female and in little distance settled between the grass.
Little later we found out that he is the father of the cubs. Even in my wildest imagination I couldn’t thought that I can witness a tiger happy family where even dad is involved. Our knowledge on tiger always says that all tiger mothers are the sole responsible for the cubs. They take care of them starting from food, training and protection from other dangers. May be some kind of feminist active movement in tigers as well like we human. As we human ladies are vocal about share the load now a days and making the man of the house to take responsibility of household. Same way, may be all tigresses have put their feet down and made their man to share the load.
This might be the very rare case when we left the tiger and they didn’t leave us. we had to rush back as it was safari closing time. The family was still chilling out there with cubs playing at a distance.
The summer sun was setting in horizon giving the whole forest a blazing shadow. We did few more safaris and saw few more tigers as well. I am happy that the tiger excitement was bit less in the other safaris, so that we could enjoy and appreciate how beautiful Bandhavgarh forest is. Radha and Gudda Bhai has made sure we enjoy Bandhavgarh holistically. Whether that late night drive through forest or that awesome dinner at Radha’s farm, made with wood fire. I was filled with that sense of achievements and was slowly breaking myself out of that dark endless loop. As I say it alway “Tigers or No Tigers, Bandhavgarh never cease that laughter from you.”
THANK YOU RADHA, GUDDA BHAI AND INDRESH BHAI FOR GIFTING ME THESE MOMENTS..!
