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“Tigers, except when wounded or when man-eaters, are on the whole very good-tempered..." - Jim Corbett
If Gir is considered a decent outing to view Asiatic Lions,Tadoba is right up there for Tigers...
With a greener landscape of rugged cliffs, marshes and lakes dominated by teak and bamboo, it entertains diverse wildlife.And... you are assured of sighting Tigers everyday during peak summer viz.May-June before the atmosphere cools with rain.
Relentlessly we get up at the unearthly hour of 4:45 when even the Rooster refuses to call and are rushing towards vehicles lined up near the Resort gate.It is a short ride to the forest entrance at which point an allotted Guide hops in to take you for your tryst.The trick is to be amongst the first few vehicles so that you can catch the animals in the open before they are disturbed by too many humans and their machines.
Guides...local boys from villages in the proximity ..different each day...each has his own style...all possess good knowledge of the animal behavior and will stare at the ground below for pug marks or the bushes around and sky above.We hear hollow barking sounds.Guide says The Indian Muntjac. What? .. commonly called the barking deer due to the bark-like sound that it makes as an alarm when danger is present.
We are shown the Crested serpent eagle perched on the tree.
Then it is the turn of the clan of Indian wild dogs that pass by after sniffing the ground and tree trunks around us.Clans typically number 5-12 in India.Ours was 6.
Nothing comes easy ...don't expect a smooth ride...there is jolt and bounce aplenty and dust to be inhaled unless you are covered like a Bedouin.We are peering, halting, waiting to hear the alerts from Deers,Monkeys and birds signalling the movement of the predator.Having done all the hard work it will be a shame to go without a Tiger sighting.
This is where Tadoba scores.We see a Tiger immersed in the shallow of the lake cooling off.It is about 75 yards in front but excitement has already gripped the humans,some of them being "wild-life enthusiasts" sporting cameras with telescopic lenses that will zoom-in on the Cat's whisker.They have trained their lens on the distant form and are elated with a smirk on their face while their fellow humans are seeing through binoculars or just waiting with bated breath.By now the traffic density has increased causing a slight commotion and raising of decibel level which helps to break the monotony as 30 min pass by.
Eventually the Tiger gets up having ruminated over the POA for the next kill and is walking into the bush yonder... Which way will he go?
I am using the third-person,singular, masculine as the territory belongs to Mr.Tyson.
Vehicles are traversing up and down each one guided by the expert who claims the know-all.In all about ten or more vehicles with its load are stalking the animal. Are we in luck, we wonder as our Guide summons his intuitive power and taps the driver to move.He has left the others and positioned the vehicle at a spot where from Tyson will emerge soon he says.We do see a small opening in the bush here.
A five minute wait and we see Tyson stealthily approaching the road and he is crossing over to the other side.With my 300mm Zooom I do my best to get the best shots as he walks from right to left and goes into the bush on the other side...Wow!!
From our vantage point,in front of all other jeeps, we had a good view of the magnificent creature striding majestically wearing his lovely stripes over his velvety coat of brown.
Wait..it is not over yet.There he is turning his face towards us.
He is urinating to mark his territory.:)
Then he is gone ..the whole thing lasting for a little over 2 minutes.
As Corbett says he was good tempered and was unfazed by the throng of the vehicles which were jostling for prime positions.He walked away quietly to mind his business.
This was a great experience and we were in a state of euphoria for a while looking behind us every now and then to see whether he will reappear again.
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It was a revelation to note that wild-life tourism in the country has caught on like Bushfire.
We had Tiger viewing on three outings out of six,but on two occasions the weather turned cool and the Tigers did not venture out to the water hole.No wonder enthusiasts make repeat visits to Tadoba more than Corbett and Ranthambore
Tadoba Nat.Park is located about 100 Kms from Nagpur Airport.
It was a 2 Hour drive from the airport to Svasara Jungle lodge where we stayed. We spent the evenings talking to the Naturalist at the lodge.Ranjit Mondol and his wife take good care of the guests.
The link is svasararesorts.com
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