Wild Encounters @ Bandhavgarh

16th - 21st May 2009

[ Picturesque Hills ~ Pic. - Balamahesh]

Thunderous skies welcomed us to Bandhavgarh. It had been very hot the previous day and people rather welcomed the shower that followed. Our group took the evening gypsy ride in this ethereal weather as it tried to cleanse the dust-ridden trees with its cooling drops. Bandhavgarh has the ability to surprise every visitor no matter how old or new he/she is to the Park.

[ Jhujhura Female Cub ~ Pic. - Shailesh Karkhanis ]

Tiger sightings bring immense thrill and anticipation but there is more to this Park than mere ‘sightings’. One could observe wildlife in relatively undisturbed areas like Ketkiha, Bhitari, Sehra, Banbehi for hours together. One could note the way Chitals, Langurs, and Sambars coordinate to alert the rest to the imminent dangers. The stealthy pace of Jackals, the sudden leap of Hares, and the incessant calls of the Lapwing when a monitor lizard is on prowl, has its own story to tell!

At the Fort, one could notice the presence of Vultures with their faeces smeared all over the cliff. Just as you are observing the young ones in the nests, a Shaheen Falcon could fly past you so swiftly that you would barely manage to get a glimpse of it.


[ White-backed Vulture ~ Pic. - Balamahesh ]

The glee in a Bee-eater’s flight, the display of Rollers, and the charming ballet of the Peacocks are enough to set your heart aflutter.

[ Green Bee-Eater ~ Pic. - Amit Bandekar ]

Amid this wonderful cacophony and breathtaking sights, our gypsy made its way, with everyone trying to focus on signs of tiger movement – pugmarks, calls, alert animals and occasionally, a growl.

Whenever a tiger walked through the woods, Langurs would panic and hop from branch to branch, a Sambar would honk so loud that our hearts would almost skip a beat - the anticipation would be at its peak and then, far away we would see a figure moving towards us- only to realise that it was a wild pig... but behold, that was not it! To our side, a tiger would stride disinterestedly through the woods and then the chaos of the vehicles would be inexplicable!

[ Pugmark of a tiger on a wet road ~ Pic. - Sayali Ashar]

[ Mirchaini Male cub ~ Pic. - Shailesh Kharkhanis ]

In a matter of seconds, shutters would fire as fast as machine guns and we would try our best to stay calm at the King's sight... that’s what wilderness does to you…it engulfs and subsumes.

Content with the sights and sounds of the Park we would set back to the gate only to wonder what the next ride would bring. At times, there would be no tiger sightings at all, at times, we would be able to see an ear or a paw and at other times, we would sight one 20 feet away from us. Sometimes a bold female cub would hang out in her tiny cave, not too far from the road. One day while she was fast asleep and rolling in her den, she suddenly realised that her head was stuck in a gap. Imagine waking up to realise that your head is stuck in a small opening! She struggled hard for about 30 seconds and eventually managed to free herself. Heaving a sigh of relief she headed towards the dam for a drink.

[ Jhujhura Female cub ~ Pic. - Vidya Venkatesh ]

We spotted her on more than one occasion, drinking or dipping herself in the cool water to ward off the oppressive summer heat. One evening, while we were watching her take a nap in the cave, it began to drizzle and the sky turned golden-yellow. She woke up from her slumber and began looking around drowsily. To watch a tiger at such a delicate and beautiful moment, with the rain falling softly around her while she’s studying it peacefully from her bed – is worth a million lives!

Apart from the surreal tiger sightings, we also spotted Crested Serpent Eagle and Changeable Hawk Eagle up close. Down the road, we saw three White-naped woodpeckers (an adult and two juveniles) fluttering about their nest. Sirkeer Malkoha, Lesser Adjutant, Malabar Pied and Indian Grey Hornbills continued to delight us with their flapping. We would regularly see White-backed, Long-billed and Red headed Vultures looking out for remains of a kill. On one occasion we even saw Jackals scavenge on the remains of a Chital and one of them urinated on it in order to claim it as his own.

[ Changeable Hawk Eagle ~ Pic. - Balamahesh ]

Four days in Bandhavgarh crafted unforgettable memories. The inhabitants of Bandhavgarh are magnanimous, more so if you are patient. And there’s plenty of evidence to go with it.

[ Rajbehra Grassland ~ Pic. - Balamahesh ]

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Some more pictures from the trip...

[ Lesser Adjutant ~ Pic. - Amit Bandekar ]

[ Grey Headed Fish Eagle ~ Pic. - Sooraj Bishnoi ]

[ Indian Roller ~ Pic. - Balamahesh ]

[ Jackal ~ Pic. - Amit Bandekar ]

[ Jungle Bush Quail ~ Pic. - Sooraj Bishnoi ]

[ Indian Peafowl ~ Pic. - Amit Bandekar ]

[ Fan-throated Lizard ~ Pic. - Amit Bandekar ]

[ White-naped Woodpecker ~ Pic. - Rajashree Karkhanis]

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[ From left - Sayali Ashar, Saloni Bhatia, Ashutosh Bishnoi, Madhura Bandekar, Amit Bandkear, Rajashree Karkhanis, Balamahesh, Shailesh K, Sachin Rai, Rama Bishnoi, Vidya Venkatesh, Sooraj Bishnoi, Salim (our ace driver) ]

Wild Encounters

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Some Memoirs from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

Pictures by Sachin Rai

Posted on April 24, 2009

The godly morning rays falling softly on her coat, the arched back conveying her lazy mood, dozens of people keeping a close watch on her moves and several others becoming ecstatic at her wondrous sight - the ability of this magnetic creature to lure many hearts is what makes BNP so special and tiger conservation so important.

It was a bright morning and the first of the Safari rides we took that day. While we scanned the terrain, trying to sight something interesting, we suddenly saw a blur of brown to our right. Far away we could see two dogs trotting on the rocks, playing with each other. To our extreme delight we realised that it was a pair of Wild Dogs, a rare treat in BNP! The dogs wandered around for a while and then disappeared as niftily as they had come. An unforgettable experience for all of us!

Some sightings get imprinted on the minds of the spectators forever. The sighting of Mahaman tigress was one such experience. We were driving into a beautiful dense patch of forest, just before 'Dinosaur Rock', not expecting anything at that moment. Out of nowhere, Mahaman emerged from the woods, ran across the road and walked for some distance before turning back to look at us. The mystery of those kohl-eyes, the surprise at the sighting of this elusive tigress and the perfect setting in which it all happened - stuff that brings immense pleasure in unpredictability.

Their impeccable camouflage could give you a run for the money. One could easily mistake them for a bark unless one looks carefully and tries to deduce their form through the leaves, the moss and the logs.

We bumped into this young male squatting indolently in the middle of our path- yawning at intervals and then assuming a 'philosophical' posture as if musing over worldly ideals, occasionally glancing at his spectators with proud nonchalant eyes. In the middle of all this, a chital walked in his direction unaware of the dangers that lay ahead of the grasslands. As soon as it hit the road, its eyes were drawn to the watchful crouching tiger and off it sped as fast as it could, putting an end to the drama and anticipation in the air...

A resident of BNP that greets almost all the visitors of the Park with its enchanting big eyes and alertness so typical of owls.

Just as we were beginning to feel a little anxious as far as the sightings were concerned, we were rewarded with a beautiful sighting of Banbehi tigress with three tiny cubs. Many gypsies had missed them inspite of having crossed their path, so perfectly camouflaged they were amid the foliage and the rocks. Fresh pugmarks, alarm calls, anticipation, excitement - all were a part of this parcel of 4 tigers and what followed was Ultimate Satisfaction!

Bandhavgarh is a place that boasts of the highest density of tigers but to see this crafty cat, trying to survive amid growing pressures from various sources, was a sight to cherish.

We were lounging on the verandah of our hotel on a cool November night, not the best time for amphibians. All of a sudden, a frog leapt at our feet. To some people, frogs may bring disgust, but to amphibian-lovers like us, it was sheer glee. Sighting a lifer- that too a Painted Frog - in November - was like an icing on the cake (after all the wonderful wildlife sightings we had had throughout our trip).

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WILDLIFE SAFARI/ PHOTO TOUR TO BANDHAVGARH


To experience such pulsating and precious moments first-hand, join us to Bandhavgarh this season (15th - 21st May 2009). For more details, email us at landofthewild@gmail.com