We had a great time at
Ranthambore National Park. We were immersed in the yellow and green expanse of
the wilderness.We were also lucky to sight the
tiger in our second safari. And it was not a regular sighting. We were tailing
her for five minutes. From the second she was in the bushes to the minute she
paraded on the main jungle pathway. We were ecstatic. We had been to two
national parks for tiger spotting – Corbett & Bandhavgarh, but nothing was
close to what we were about to witness.
There were three gypsy’s
including ours and one canter. Each was trying to get a better view. There were
hushed whispers of T-39 also known as Mala walking in the bushes. Our
driver said she would eventually walk on the main path where gypsy’s drove, so
we rushed a few steps ahead of other vehicles. As expected she came on the very
path and strolled ahead of us, unperturbed by our presence. She kept walking
for a minute and suddenly she stopped, turned to take a look at us and walked away in the woods.(The video can be found here)
It was a successful journey and I
am glad it happened, but it also brought into light how vulnerable these
animals are. Many overzealous drivers are known to take the jeeps/canters
excessively close to the tigers, enraging them. A quick search on Youtube and
one would see agitated tigers chasing the vehicles eventually leading them out
of their territory. It can be traumatizing for not just the animal but also for those
sitting in the vehicles.
Another incident at Gir, Gujrat,
in the summer of 2009 is testimony to the horrors of allowing visitors in
wildlife sanctuaries. This sanctuary is known to be the sole home of the
Asiatic lion. It was probably May and the jungle was facing one of its most
harsh months. We had two guides with us. On reaching the heart of the jungle
they stopped our jeep and stepped outside with two thick bamboo poles. They
went inside the jungle beating the poles to the ground and within a few minutes
we saw them behind two lionesses – driving them near our jeep. We don’t know
how they did it. They apparently did so to make a quick buck.
We were told it is not allowed to
step out of the vehicle, but apparently everything is possible in Indian
national parks/sanctuaries. I know of friends who have taken many a night
safaris in sanctuaries equipped with booze. We were offered deer and monkey
meat during our Bandhavgarh sojourn multiple times. (Bandhavgarh in Madhya
Pradesh is supposed to have the highest density of Bengal tigers in India.)
If you have money or access to certain privileges you can get away with anything. Hunting is not
unheard of either; the black buck shooting case is testimony to this fact. What is the solution? Do we stop visitors in
sanctuaries/national parks, considering the dangerous animal our own species is
turning out to be?
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| T-39/Mala at Ranthambore |
Lionesses seen at Gir
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