Tiger Sighting - Expect the Unexpected!

Seven minutes was all it took to spot my first tiger at the Kanha Tiger Reserve twenty three years ago. It was a full grown female and stopped bang in the middle of the dirt track in the early morning hours, shortly after sunrise. Insufficient light made it impossible to capture a truly majestic sighting. One fact remained obvious, both of us were taken by surprise at the other's presence! While we rubbed our eyes in disbelief, scarcely believing our good fortune, the tiger could barely conceal its displeasure letting out a huge growl before continuing on its path through the environs of a dark and dusty forest.Twenty three years and countless safaris later, predominantly restricted to Kanha Tiger Reserve in Central India, where I've had all my sightings, am submitting humble observations which may prove helpful when going wildlife (tiger!) spotting.

1. Enjoy the forest and all its offerings - irrespective of whether the 'big five' are spotted. Besides tigers, other memorable sightings I've had are - Black necked and Siberian cranes at Bharatpur, King Vultures at Kanha, elephant herds are Corbett, Bandipur, Madhumalai and Nagarhole. Wild dogs on a kill at Bandipur, sloth bear at Kanha, falcons at Kanheri and giant Tarantula Spider at Karnala, to name but a very few.

2. The proverb, 99% perspiration and 1% luck spells success needs to be tweaked a bit inside a forest reserve. More often than not its 100% perspiration and 100% luck along with tones of patience that may bring about a good sighting.

3. Tigers and leopards are by and large nocturnal hunting by twilight, after sunset and before sunrise. Early morning is generally the best time, same could be said for late afternoons. The chances of spotting one during regular safaris increase during summer months, when water is scarce and forests are pretty much barren. Tigers with young cubs will remain as far as possible from public eye, so is the case with mating tigers, and tigers feeding on a kill.

4. During winter months tigers tend to step out onto dirt tracks to 'catch the sun' and for a breath of warm air. They are also known to mark territory on a regular basis increasing one's probabilities, though the issue here is not many are aware of the time when this ritual/spectacle would unfold itself!

5. Tigers have excellent sight and hearing, the slightest sound acts as an impediment. While a pug mark might be invitingly fresh, no sighting means it could have just stepped aside, into the forest, waiting for the 'intruder' to pass by.

6. By far the best indicator of a predator presence are alarm calls of the ungulates including barking deer, sambhar, spotted deer, barasingha (antelope) and langurs. The call of the sambhar is extremely reliable because unlike other prey the sambhar steps in to investigate. More often than not it becomes easy meat for the predator! An alarm call means the predator is on the move often providing the best chance of an actual sighting if you are within the nearby vicinity.

7. Tigers and other predators like the leopard will hide their prey after a kill. Spotting a half-eaten kill on a dirt track could mean it's a jackal hunt.

8.Juvenile cubs may venture on their own, but will remain extremely wary of human presence. Should such a sighting occur, in most cases it will be brief.

9. Being extremely intelligent and endowed with a fur coat matching the colors of the undergrowth, tigers love to camouflage themselves remaining hidden in bushes and often off the 'tiger-safari' track. Hence sightings are rare and seldom.

10. If elephant rides are available and luck is in the offing, there is a brilliant chance of actually finding a tiger hidden in the deeper recess of the forest. Should such a sighting happen it will be one of the most memorable. Imagine sighting one feeding on a carcass!

11.Don't always spend time looking at jeep level, good idea to keep a watch on trees. Besides spectacular bird sightings, unsuspecting leopards prowled on tree tops may catch the eye. Never fail to carry a birding book, powerful binoculars and manually adjustable cameras with great zooming. In dim forest light ready to shoot cameras don't always produce best results.

12. Irrespective of what happens during a safari, enjoy the ride, breathe in the fresh forest air, soak in breathtaking surroundings, admire virgin beauty, return back refreshed. It's only then you will come back for the next safari. Who knows, safari no. three might after all prove lucky!
Hector Dsouza