In Search of Tigers
Measuring more than 2000 square kilometers, the Kanha Tiger Reserve in Central India evokes fine memories, notable being the sighting of six tigers & a leopard, all in the space of six hours in a single day. One chilly morning in mid-February when the mist had barely risen & the rays of the of the morning sun just about managed to seep through the thick forest cover, we had our first encounter. We entered the jungle driving on the damp dirt track, when all of a sudden we saw the king of all cats, majestically moving in from a thicket of bushes towards the unpaved road.
No one we earlier met ever mentioned, `you'll spot one in minutes!!' `It's show time folks," the all time favorite line from the movie `All that Jazz' came to mind as the Sanctuary began to unmask its most celebrated citizen. Amidst hushed voices & a chill that stung our bones we braked to a halt. The moment we had been waiting for came sooner than expected, nature having acceded to our request. In the distance the tigress walked towards the dirt track road & stood her ground. Some exclaimed, some sighed, while the rest stood dumbstruck.
Measuring about two meters from head to tail, her coat of brown & black glistened in the first rays of the sunlight. The `Empress' gazed at us intently, surprised by our intrusion as we were by her presence (forests don't carry doorbells!). As it was still early in the morning she could have been on a hunt the night before. Normally tigers are most active after twilight & before sunrise, when prey is easier to source than during the day. The Empress would probably call it `curtains' after finding a suitable resting place in her territory. The look of bewilderment quickly turned to one of anger on being irritated by the flash of the camera left on unintentionally by yours truly!! We (the judges) were unanimous on a score of full points for her poise, beauty & grace. `Adieu' she seemed to suggest as she crossed the dirt path & disappeared into the confines of the forest. Our sighting lasted for a couple of minutes, yet it seemed to linger forever. Like a bunch of school boys, we giggled, patted each other on backs & were too stunned to speak further until we had our next equally memorable encounters.
One of the wayfarers on our vehicle was a local village teen whom we had agreed to take on a ride, before our safari began. Our jeep trundled along past the Kanha meadows sparkling in the morning sun, the whiff of fresh forest air made us delirious or was it the sighting!! On either side the meadows were a mixture of off white, dusty gold & green grass offering a perfect camouflage to predators, especially tigers. On the spur of the moment the lad gestured the driver to stop & reverse back. He pointed his hand in a particular direction, I could swear we saw nothing in the meadows, besides the rustling of grass, being gently tweaked by the morning wind. Moments later we detected a pair of ears with short black stripes pointing towards the sky. In all there were three pairs, making a total of three tigers. Adept at camouflaging themselves in grass cover, only a pair of trained eyes (like this local lad) can spot tigers hiding in meadows.
Knowing they were spotted, the tigress & her two cubs who were on a hunting expedition (the Kanha meadows are known for sambar, spotted deer, barking deer & twelve horned antelope) hurriedly rose from the meadow & beat a hasty retreat into the dark recess of the forest. Could imagine the mother gesticulating to the cubs, `Man when you see these two legged creatures, avoid them like plague, run for your life for they feed on every part of your body, private parts included! What's the going rate, Mom?' the younger of the two inquired, hurriedly trying to keep pace with the giant steps of the mother.
`It all depends son,' she retorted `we normally produce twelve kilograms of bone. One kilo gets the poacher about 10,000 Dollars in Taiwan & China. The poachers consider the upper bone of the front legs most valuable. Then there is the skin, eyes, whiskers, claws & genitals to be considered. Traditional Chinese medicine uses these parts mainly for arthritis & rheumatism, besides being used as an aphrodisiac as well. At times you find yourself in store shelves in the biggest cities of the world. Jokes aside, you are well worth about 100,000 dollars. And there are just about 3000 of us left on this Planet. So you can very well imagine!" The cubs `nodded', moving their head from side to side, as if to agree in unison.
We patted the village boy & gave him a hug, before resuming our ride this time up a dark hill & into the core area of the forest. A herd of Great Indian Buffaloes watched us with a look of disdain & nonchalance gently chewing on cud. Normally laid back, if provoked it gets nervous & will charge. In a one-to-one situation tigers will avoid these creatures who generally weigh more than half a ton. We moved higher, & asked the driver to stop when we heard the cough-like alarm of a langur followed by a sambar bellowing. There was little doubt a leopard or a tiger was prowling around, save for these alarm calls the forest was as quiet as graveyard! Monkeys and deer share a fascinating intimate bond with the langur warning the deer species of any impending danger on the ground with a series of incessant alarm calls each time a carnivore is around (these stop when the beast lies down or stops moving). On hearing these calls, most prey become attentive, craning around in all directions for subtle movements before darting into safe territory. Not so the heavy-footed Sambar, it chooses to remain immobile, is terribly lethargic & ends up in the tiger's belly! There is no denying, because of its sheer weight & strength, will always put up a good fight.
The sambar repeatedly tapped her left hoof on the damp twig & leaf covered surface, a flurry of anxious calling created a pulsating atmosphere; moments later a huge male leopard leapt from its cover. Disgruntled & annoyed it let out a huge roar before disappearing into a thick maze of sal & bamboo. Phew, totally unbelievable - the drama between predator & prey!! The last two sightings of the the majestic tiger were not of our own making, instead they were spotted by a group of guides who try to track tigers on elephant back. The mahouts would depart much before daybreak trying to `find' a tiger in its natural surroundings -this includes tall grass, dense undergrowth, shrubs - locations a predator normally takes refuge while feeding resting or mating (mating tigers would be left alone). After they've been sighted tourists are taken on elephant for the `tiger show' & allowed to spend a couple of minutes in the company of the great feline (tiger shows at Kanha are now completely banned as per orders of the Supreme Court).
We left the precincts of the forest in a ramshackle bus, our appetites satiated by the incredible sightings of an eventful morning. Am currently more than 1000 miles away from Kanha, yet whenever I read books on Indian Wildlife or watch a Wildlife Documentary on television, am immediately transported (rucksack, binoculars & cameras) back to Kanha & those specials findings on my first Tiger Safari!!
- Hector Dsouza