Tiger Safari Zones Bandhavgarh

 Bandhavgarh is a National Park and a tiger reserve situated in the Umaria District of Madhya Pradesh. It is located 170 Km from Jabalpur a large city of Madhya Pradesh or MP. The park is divided into the core zone and buffer zone.

The core zone is inviolate, and no commercial activity or settlements are permitted. The only habitation is that of forest guards, and they number more than 150. The core is the main breeding ground of wild animals and since the place is inviolate wild animals live and breed in peace.

The buffer zone is a multiple-use area, and it is a mix of forests, fields, and tribal villages. Tourism in the buffer is conducted in the remaining forests and movement of humans and livestock is not permitted. Tourism takes place in these restricted forests in day time but night safari takes place in some buffer zones.

Tourism Zones in Core

There are three tourism zones in the core where jeeps on permits are allowed.

The zones are:

• ·         Tala
• ·         Magdhi
• ·         Khitauli  

The buffer zones are:

• ·         Dhamokhar
• ·         Panpatha
• ·         Johila

Two-day safaris are organized one in the early morning and the other in the evening. Some parks also organize full-day safaris where there is no zone limitation. You can trespass any zone but meals are allowed in designated places. The entry is half an hour earlier than regular rides and the exit is half an hour later.

In all the zones safaris are permitted on a permit, and the entry of jeeps is limited. The permits can be booked online at MPOnline Portal. You can also book safari permits at the gate provided it is available. If one of your friends and family does not have their name on the permit they can still enjoy the ride through add-on policy. Only six tourists are allowed on one jeep remember? There is also a single-seat booking facility that can be booked and shared by solo tourists.

Bandhavgarh is home to a tiger, leopard, bison, and sloth bear. Except for the bison, other animal sightings are rare. For an exciting wildlife experience book your game rides in advance.

Bandhavgarh Niche Habitat

For regular visitors to Bandhavgarh appears to be pristine forests and grasslands but if you notice the niche habitats it will create a liking for the National Park. Niche habitats bring a deeper understanding of the Bandhavgarh ecosystem works.   On my tiger safaris, I always keep an eye on unique intrigue. These niche habitats add to the charismatic beauty of the park.

Sidha Baba

In the Chakradhara swampy meadow, the holy site of Lord Shiva Lingam is first to greet you it is called Sidh Baba. This is the frequented by the tigers on the hunt favored by the slush created.  Tourists and guides often stop here to pray to Shiva. The Shiva lingam dates back 2000 years and is perhaps as old as the fort at the top.

Chakradhara Meadow

Chkradhara is a swampy grassland and is close to Charanganga River this is the finest example of a marshy meadow. The swamp grassland is frequented by the prey species which are often hunted by the hungry tigers here. This offers an ideal moment to film or photograph the hunted and the hunter encounters. There is a stream at one side of the grassland which is the rivulet that is perennial and the big cats come to rest here in the cool shade in the hot summer. 

Gopalpur Pond

If you wish to spot water and shore birds This is an ideal place and you can also watch the Palearctic migrants that land here in the winter. This is a favorite pond for the big cats during the hot summer and they come to rest here. Many big cats and other wild animals have made Gopalpur pond their regular haunt. You can see interesting wildlife if you wait here silently. 

Badi Gufa – The Big Cave

For bat lovers, this is the best multi-chambered cave. you can see the Brahmi script etched on the walls of the cave that acted as court chambers in the 10th Century AD. The walls contain a colony of bats hanging upside down as they usually do. The cave is grilled so wild animals do not enter.

Sesh Shayya

The reclining idol of Lord Vishnu is carved out of an igneous rock that is 20 feet long. The pool on the right is inundated by trickles from the mountain River Charanganga that seep downs from Bandhavgarh Hill. The surrounding canopy comprises dense thickets of shrubs and is an ideal breeding ground for the big cats.

Ketkiya Breaks (Aromatic Kewara)

 

The aromatic Kewara plants have a distinct niche habitat. The tall stands of Arjun and Jamun Trees act as shade from the Sun and encourage the growth of the shrubs.

Bhitari Bah Niche Habitat

Fed by Bhitari rivulet the slush formation is supported by grass and a thicket of dense herbs. The niche is supported by tall trees.  The d grassland is preferred by the herbivores to forage giving ample opportunity for big cats to hunt. This spot is frequented by herbivores and big cats hide in the tickets to hunt for them.

Sita Mandap (Stone Arch)

The arch is a unique geological formation due to erosions under which water flows. A number of rock and cave formations give the place a unique importance. Though closed to visitors one can look down from the top to sight the big cats arriving here to drink. This tigers inhabit is inaccessible to tourists.

Bandhavgarh National Park abounds in niche habitats throughout the park. An extensive survey of Bandhavgarh could result in amazing finds. The formation of Bandhavgarh National Park and its declaration as a protected area under the wildlife protection act 1972 has been a big boon.

All the wonderful geologic formations add to make tiger safari interesting and exciting. One must visit the park on safari. Please remember to book the safari permit online before you arrive.  Bandhavgarh can be reached from Jabalpur Airport after driving 170 kilometers.

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Uday has worked as a naturalist and loves to write about tigers and other wildlife forms. He also provides SEO Services and Content for Digital Marketing. He can be contacted at :

pateluday90@hotmail.com

Mob/Watsapp: 9755089323

My First Tiger Safari

 “Shhh! Keep Quiet! Stop Cribbing”.

I was not cribbing; it was fear that had transgressed skin deep and was making my bones rattle. My jaws were wide open and quivering uncontrollably, I was barely able to form words. It was like I was hit by a jolt of lightning.  If my memory serves me right, I was incessantly pleading with the mahout to turn back.    

We were at Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh in India, and this was my first elephant ride in the dense thickets. We were moving slowly on a narrow track surrounded by marsh and puddles a rarity in hot summer.  Bandhavgarh is also a tiger reserve, a conservation unit meant to save this critically endangered species. Tourism although restricted offers tourists an insight into these mysterious tropical Sal forests and the denizens that live in the ecosystem.   

My uncle sat calmly comprehending my unease which had turned into fear. Being a bidi manufacturer dealing in tendu leaves, he had on a number of occasions come across the big cats. He had completely lost the fear of these magnificent creatures but was rather unnerved by my incessant chatter during the encounter. 

“This is a rare sighting”, he said. “Sit back and enjoy”. The mahout could gauze my discomfort and fear as well and in a few comforting words, he tried to calm me. “The tiger is in unknown territory and confused,” he said.

I could see the big cat moving haphazardly. He would come near us close to a few meters, and then move back a short distance right on the path that our elephant was on.  The elephant stood still with no place to go. This continued for some nerve-wracking time before the feline took a giant leap over a large puddle and vanished.

I could see the big cat in flight over the puddle such a huge body was effortlessly in the air with one giant thrust from his powerful hind legs. Male tigers weigh around two hundred and fifty kilos in Central India and this one seemed to tip the scale. It is not only brute strength and power; paradoxically these cats are one of the most graceful creatures on Earth. In natural surroundings their beauty is incomparable.     

This was my first encounter with the magical beast who has an equal presence in folklore and myths besides battling for survival in our reserves.  Sighting that cat barely a few meters from us was a frightening experience although there were no threatening gestures or a charge meant to drive us away. The huge animal appeared an expressionless, bearded monster at close quarters but was nevertheless extremely charismatic and majestic.  Words fail to describe this animal and the encounter in a few phrases but you have to see it to recall its appearance in your own voice and tone.  

The confusion was palpable. My uncle later told me that these creatures are sure about everything they do, but in this instance, he had ventured into new territory and probably sighted humans on an elephant back for the first time. Big cats from non-tourism areas are wary of humans and their contraptions.  But they soon get acclimatized and then rarely bother the tourist and the staff. 

The visit turned me into a nature lover and many more visits took place to these esoteric lands of India. There are now more than fifty tiger reserves meant to save the tiger by bringing it back from the brink of extinction.

The first encounter with the big cat was an eye-opening moment, and to this date, I am a freelance naturalist due to my fascination with wilderness. I keep myself busy with content writing and search engine optimization nowadays to keep my bread and butter on the roll. But whenever time allows, I visit the reserves as a tourist or with some hotel guests as a guide.

Although I have come across these predators many times I still yearn for that memorable event. That first sighting of the tiger confused and vulnerable perhaps feeling as vulnerable as I have found a permanent place in the convoluted labyrinths of my mind. I was unacclimatized with jungle life and the surroundings held me mesmerized. How I yearned for a tiger would emerge from a bush and had straight towards me sitting on the elephant's back. My respected uncle is no more perhaps his sagacity and experience are not required now after so many adventures in the wild. But if a moment could be recreated, I would yearn to go back in time and experience again.     

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Uday works as a freelance naturalist and loves to write on related issues. He also provides SEO and content writing services. He runs classes on digital marketing in summers in his home town Jabalpur.  

He can be contacted :

pateluday90@hotmailcom

9755089323  

 

Tiger Conservation: Elephant Migration in Central India

Mystery Migration Indian Elephants

Elephants have been recorded in Central India or Madhya Pradesh historically and evidence in form of craftsmanship (Artifacts) is suggestive of their presence rather strongly well back in time. Though no earlier in sightings have been recorded in MP except incursions in Surguja District now a part of neighboring Chhattisgarh State, a very recent surprise incursion has taken place into the dense confines of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve a part of Central India. Recent news is suggestive of their movement into Kanha National Park as well some 200 km from Bandhavgarh.    

Wild Elephants

The reason for migration would be competition among the herds and or search for new pastures. These mammals have an indelible memory bank and finding erstwhile routes is not difficult. Their instincts could also have led them here. Already two calves have been born at Bandhavgarh.   

Understanding The Ecology & Impact

Elephants are megaherbivores and consume more than 100 species of plant matter including tree barks, leaves, and soft branches. In general, they are grazers and browsers and food selection is due to abundance and season. In one day an adult may consume about 150 kgs of plant material including tall grass. 

Now wild elephants' arrival in Central Indian Forests is good news but there is a catch. If these pachyderms have found back their erstwhile home their arrival though not marked with pessimism will be a matter of some serious study. Their arrival has to be seen with a bit of caution. 

The reason for this circumspect approach is due to the shrunken ecosystem that now prevails in the present as compared with the past whence there was no shortage of forest cover. In these times competition for fodder would be serious in areas with robust prey bases.

The pachyderms are rapacious feeders and consume almost hundred and fifty-kilo grams of food comprising of plant matter, bamboo, and grass. Though the number of migrants is small compared to the area, the increase in population and further migration could add to immense biotic pressure and pose a severe threat to herbivores which cannot compete with these large mammals.     

In time to come animals like Swamp Deer, and spotted deer would face severe pressure the former being a total graminivore. The pressure would also be upon the bison or gaur. These animals constitute the main prey base of the tiger. Hence tiger breeding will be reduced for there is a correlation between the availability of food and procreation among the carnivores. During the summers there will be increased competition for scarce water as well.

All this may not happen immediately but will certainly happen in the future. It is up to the field biologists to make an extensive study and come to the right conclusion. All factors have to be taken into account and carefully calibrated.   

It is too early to predict the outcome since the pachyderms may prefer to stay in an area where they may not create competition or they may migrate or make local migration reducing the area of impact.. If they begin the migration process with a period spent here they may not cause pressure enough to create competition. 

With a massive clearance of forests, the paradigm has changed and the long-term impact will have to be taken into account. In areas already sustaining large populations of elephants, the plant matter consumed without exhausting the ecosystem may not be present in the tiger reserves of  Central India.

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Uday works as a naturalist and blogs on conservation in India.
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com

Searching For Tigers - Bandhavgarh National Park

Bandhavgarh National Park 

The Fort of The Gond Kings 

Rising majestically from the tortured terrain is the Bandhavgarh Hillock scaling 800 plus MSL. On the dizzy heights an ancient fort built more than  two thousand years back nestles imposingly amidst long stretch of grassy meadows and dense canopy. In spite of being in ruins the surrounding spectacle is mesmerising. 

Zoomorphic idols of Lord Vishnu the creator are scattered all over among them the Varha Avatar, Matsya Avatar and Kasyap Avatar are engrossing. Large reservoirs are spread all over the premises presumably surrounding the central building which is no more. 

An ancient temple devoted to Lord Rama, Sita and Laxman stands still over looking the expanse of the hilly forests, swampy grasslands and majestic trees. Rivulets snake through, down from the hills into the plains and glens to create a unique ecosystem of low lying swamps filled grass. These are favourite hunting grounds for the tigers. Known as “bohera” they provide food for the herbivores which in turn become a meal for tigers lurking unseen in the grass.     

Fort Entrance - Pic Teerath Singh

Tigers rule the wild kingdom but telltale signs of human intervention are scattered all over amidst the dense Sal forests of Bandhavgarh. Man made caves, idols, stables, shelters, pools lie still in the kingdom of the wild. The assemblage functional long time back housed armies of the rulers. Turbulent past is etched all over bloody conquests that took place time and again repeatedly one after the other. 

The indomitable spirit of the tiger preserved the species throughout the bloody conquests, and later the marauding hunting pogroms. The survival of the dominant species aided in preservation of the whole ecosystems albeit much reduced.        

Sesh Shhaiya      

Reclining Vishnu - Pic Gopal Desai

Somewhere near the ascent to the fort is an esoteric fairy tale like pool dating back many centuries. Ensconced in a groove of flowering trees a pool made of rocks lies listlessly in the centre. A twenty feet long rock idol of reclining Vishnu is the centre of attraction. Revered by the locals the idol is an archaeological wonder deep in the remote confines of Central India.  

Caves - Pic Teerath Singh

Idols - Pic Teerath Singh  

The pool is fed by number of springs that trickle down the edges over grown with moss, lichens and ferns. As the wind blows from between the hillocks a comfort level astoundingly cool enhanced by the shade of the grooves refreshes in parched heat of the intense summer. The fairy tale like  ambience is an esoteric experience for visitors from the contemporary Worlds. Here time stands still, and the panoramic spread amazes and enchants beyond belief.       

The Terrain   

Surrounding Bandhavgarh are a number of hillocks or tabletop mountains with a unique mix of steep edges and gentle slopes. The hills are covered with bamboo wherever fertility prevails else barren stony escarpment jut out like shining daggers creating an intricate tapestry a unique feature among the surrounding wilderness.        

Meadows - Teerath Singh

Rivulets arising from mountain tops snake through crossing through the low lying terrains. Here they form swampy grasslands which support a wide variety of life forms in their niche. Dense Sal, mix forests and bamboo cover the slopes and the deep glens.     

Bandhavgarh - Teerath Singh

The abundant diversity and unique land features enthral the visitors with their beauty and panoramic excellence. Bandhavgarh is amongst the most picturesque tiger reserves in India.  

Booking Tiger Safari - MP Online Details

The details available on MP Online Website are in form of details FAQs, letters and notifications. The most searched information is the availability of permits. There is an option to book the  safari permit then and there.  Online payment facility is available on the portal hence you finalise booking then and there. Booking for other types of entry permits are also available. 

Most of the information provided is about the various aspects of tiger safari in Kanha, Pench, Bandhavgarh, Satpura and Panna tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh or Central India.  

If you are looking for the reservation page than you have to click on citizen services and then slide down to click on reservation after which the option to enter the National Park page will be visible. The Pandora's Box will then open for you.    

In the announcement section you will see the entry and exit timings, and the fee structure which is important for the visitors. 

If you click on the save the tiger logo you will reach the page on Madhya Pradesh Tiger Foundation Society. This non profit organization works towards wildlife conservation with emphasis on tigers along with its registered members. Further reading will enlighten you more,  Other links on the page point to Project Tiger and related aspects of tiger reserves.

Tiger Photo - Dharmagiri

On the page with logo you will find FAQ's on each  of the tiger reserves mentioned. This is important if you wish to know rules and regulations and various aspects of tiger safari in the reserves.   

The Faq is all encompassing hence tourists planning a safari to the reserves should read the respective information thus provided. The FAQ also offers information on Government  accommodation at Kanha but only the one at Khatia gate is available to public. It is basic accommodation. 

Hence tourist planning a visit should search for accommodation in Kanha on the SERP. This will lead to a large number of hotel websites offering a stay. The Kanha buffer contains five star, luxury and budget accommodation hence choose your pick.       

For more information visit MPOnline Website.

Anshuman Singh

Anshuman Singh is a young lawyer based in Jabalpur in Central India. He is also a keen photographer and conservationist. At the forefront of conservation he participates with utmost sincerity in many activities relating to nature. He is active in initiating school children to nature conservation and birding. Here are some of the images by Anshuman Singh

Male Tiger

Pachmarhi Hill Resort

Painted Stork

Painted Stork in Flight

Tigress

Red Eye Tiger

Spectacled Cobra

Male Tiger

Male Tiger Kanha

Tigress

Patiha Female Bandhavgarh

Tree Planting + Indian Army

Umerpani Female Kanha

Verditor Flycatcher

 

The Tiger Story - Bandhavgarh

Leopard

Tiger

Male Tiger

Injured Blue Eyed Tiger and After wards

Blue Eyed Injured

Blue Tiger Bandhavgarh

Injured Tiger

Jeep Safari

Long Billed Vulture

Big Male Tiger

Tiger & Tree

Ruddy Mongoose

Alarmed Sambar

Save Tiger

Spotted Deer

Bengal Tiger

Tiger at Water

Tiger in Grass

Scent Marking Tiger

Snarling Tiger

Tiger Walk

Tige rin Bandhavgarh National Park

Wild Dog

Teerath Singh has been a great friend and client for website promotion. He is an equally great photographer, naturalist, and guide. Teerath Singh also operates a tour company called MP Tiger Safari in India.   

Bandhavgarh is a happening place and Teerath's Images keep telling exciting stories of the wild. Here is one incidence of a blue-eyed male tiger being injured in a fight and made to leave his territory. Well, this winter he is making a comeback. Territorial fights among the big cats could be a messy and bloody affair. See the images by Teerath Singh in this blog.