Searching For Tigers!!

Tigers are conspicuous by their presence and illusive by their movement. As naturalist guide I am entrusted to search for tigers for my guests by Courtyard House at Kanha. This job we have to do as to make the day for the visitors..     

This is one of the most difficult jobs and at times thankless, but thrilling as well. Nevertheless I do come out with startling finds frequently in the deep recess of the woods of our reserves. I am no tiger expert like the field biologists who spend considerable time studying the big cats. But nevertheless our creed deserves kudos for understanding strands of tiger behavior - psssssssssst - as much as guides can do. 

Tigers thrive in dense forests which are usually encompassed in the reserve called core zones. The outer layer called the buffer zone is supposed to accord some sort of protection from the marauding humanity.  At places where the buffer is reasonably intact and is populated by fewer villages tourism has been introduced.

At Pench  National Park the buffer zone is subject to night safaris while at Bandhavgarh this zone offers safaris during the monsoon. These are positive developments since activities in outer layer means better future for neglected areas suffering from undue biotic pressure and man animal conflict. This tourism also takes off the load from the core zone. This also means more employment for the guides and drivers who are usually locals.   

As per NTCA guidelines tourism is restricted to twenty percent of the area of the reserves. This area is further divided into zones in order to manage vehicular movement. Hence we move in area limited by the tourism zone we are allotted.    

As you get experienced you sharpen your tracking skills, learn from others and get assistance from the network of drivers and guides on other jeeps. Searching for tigers tests your sensory apparatus as well as your logic and understanding of the behavior pattern, and movement of the hunter and hunted. It is imperative to understand the movement of individual animal in the area of expedition and their preferred timings as per the weather. At the same time one has to take into account the vehicular movements including park staff and the foresters on foot.

Red Eye Male Tiger - Paul Fear at Kanha

Pench Tiger - Dharmagiri

Tigress With Cub - Dharmagiri Pench

Tigress + Cub - Dhramagiri

Tigers are highly individualistic in their nature. At times I have been surprised by big cats exhibiting almost human like grasp of their ecosystem. While dominant males and experienced females are uninhibited the rest are extremely shy - especially the young ones and cubs. In fact most of the tigers are frightened to bone in presence of humans.        

Alarm cries, pug marks, spoor, smells, sounds and tree markings are tell tale signs of the presence of the animal. The movement of this animals is irregular except during the summers whence water shortage arises. But most of these carnivores are restricted to a given area for a long time, especially the dominant males whilst breeding mothers keep on changing places locally.    

People come from far and wide to see the tiger. Whether they are regular tourists, naturalists, wildlife photographers, conservationists or plain fun loving holiday makers, the big cat is always on the menu and on every visit I must add. 

Most of the reserves in India receive few birders or tree watchers albeit these are excellent for both.      

Trekking Tigers

Tracking tigers in the wild is most exciting and thrilling adventure but only for those who can take disappointment at times in a stride. It is an exhaustive exercise though sometimes the luck favors early.

Like all primary predators tiger leave telltale signs that may lead to the animal. The primary source is the alarm cries of the herbivores and birds who on sighting or scenting the tiger give a typical call. One should be able to make out the vocalization of the tiger. Other indications are the pug marks, excreta and territorial markings.

One needs trained eyes to see tiger which is always in excellent camouflage and of course sensitive ears to hear the alarm cries and tiger calls. Intuition sometimes works but once in blue moon. The reaction and behavioral pattern of the animals too indicates the presence of the Bengal tigers in the forests and grassland ecosystems.

In tiger reserves tracking tigers on the foot is not allowed one must track them while on a jeep which limits accessibility and makes the task more difficult. One must also understand bit of tiger biology and have complete understanding of the ecosystem as whole.

Understanding tiger movements and its habitual routine is also important in fact very important. Knowing the terrain is important as well. This is an exciting profession which requires years of experience. 

Silence is a golden rule. Sitting on the open jeep you can here sounds from far away to make out which animals is there. A cacophony of alarm cries means a predator is around. Leave for the spot at slow speed so that you do not disturb the animal..it will move towards the dense thickets.    

Trekking tiger at Corbett

It was just a faint sound that caught my ears. I knew well that it was an alarm cry of the Sambar. I brought the jeep to halt with a tap on the shoulder of the bewildered driver.

“There is a tiger here” I said to my guest from Germany. They were bit perplexed because they could not see one. Then the alarm cries of spotted deer confirmed my deduction. The deer were across the Ramganga river and could see them through my binoculars. They were constantly warning and moving in the opposite direction on full alert. I knew now where the tiger was.

It was somewhere on the bank of the river towards us and probably in the deep nullah down the slope of the hill we were on. We waited for a long time, the Sambar call from over the hill had died down and so had the calls of the spotted deer.

I told my guests that we have a fair chance to see the tiger if it decides to come out in the open , where we could see it. My guests were bit impatience doubting as to if the tiger was actually there. “Come out Mr. Tiger or I will be proved wrong” I whispered to my self.

I was screening my surroundings as we waited silently…then out of blue a small troop of rhesus macaque arrived on the other side of the jungle road.

“We will see the tiger now! The monkeys will fetch the tiger for us,” I announced elated. By this time the rest of our group had also arrived behind us. “Move slowly towards the macaques,” I instructed the driver. He did so and so did the rest. Now we were in full view of the mountain slope.

The rhesus is like a curious cat and is afraid of the tiger and emits a strange clucking sound as alarm cry. Unlike other prey species they do not move away. The rhesus or red faced monkeys have a habit of going right next to the tiger (up a tree of course) and give its game away. They did right that and an irritated tiger rose up from the nullah and came right unto our view.

We were on a birding trip to North India that covered Bharatpur, Nainital district and Corbett National Park in Uttranchal. After a successful bird tour, we were on the last leg of our trip at Corbett. Birding was our focus but so was the tiger…obviously.

Our package tour to North India for birding struck success with the tiger sighting. It is not always possible to sight tigers like this.

We could see it rushing past right through the short bushes. A tiger sighting had been made and people from far were elated. Tourists on tiger safaris come from far and wide to see the tiger. Whence they succeed in sighting the charismatic tiger all the effort, time and cost is paid for.

Elephant Trekkers – The Mahouts

The most exciting experience of tiger safari in Central Indian tiger reserves are of course the elephant rides which take you into the deep recess of the jungles. Albeit long rides on elephant back is a thing of the past with only Bandhavgarh offering it? This long ride is subject to availability and to current policies of the reserve. And exorbitantly costly affordable only by those who are cash rich.

Nevertheless tiger safari on elephant back can still be enjoyed for a short distance during the tiger shows. During tiger show you are taken on an elephant back from your vehicle to the spot where the tiger has been cordoned by a group of park elephants. One can enjoy elephant safari at Bandhavgarh tiger reserve, Kanha and Pench National Park in Central Indian tiger reserves.

Elephants bear the gruel of the rough terrain and a difficult routine so do their riders or mahouts. The routine starts at perhaps four in the morning in winters it is freezing cold. The elephants are fed by the mahouts and then saddled if you may call it that.

In the National Parks wild tiger trekking on elephant begins immediately at predawn in the darkness of the night. As expert trekkers that elephant drivers are they succeed often. With a clue here and there a pug mark fresh, alarm calls of distressed deer or a tiger roar whatever. Picking these clues the mahouts ride deep into the inaccessible forest and trek down the tiger.

The communication between the elephant and his driver is a matter of marvel. The team work that whole lot of driven elephants and their drivers is a marvel again. By the time the tiger is located and shown to you much of trekking has been done. Keeping the located tiger at one place is again demonstration of the mahouts skill and the resilience of their animal.

It is not easy to keep the tiger at one place yet they succeed amazingly. If the tiger gets restive they manage to hold him for a long time till beyond a certain point he is wisely let go off.

Elephant ride in through the dense canopy of dagger like and equally menacing bamboo clumps, steep rocky inclines and twisting water beds is an experience never to be avoided. Though petrifying at times you will relish the thrill of this elephant ride. Trust Me!