Nagerhole has about 40 tigers, we were told. It is a relatively small park to hold that many tigers and so the probability to see one is relatively higher. However, tigers roam across a large area and so there is a good chance that they are elsewhere from the safari route.
A 3 hour safari may seem like a lot of time - but is actually not enough time to see even a smaller part of the park. One, is due to the fact that there are no paved roads and we have to drive on dirt tracks which slows us down and that you have to ride slow if you have to have a decent chance of spotting any wildlife.
The evening safari tickets are given out at 10am. So, as soon as we finished the morning one, we have to stand in the queue again. Almost everyone from morning safaris take the evening one as well. Of course, there was a lively fight in Kannada when one of the resort guy (broker?) cut the line and try to book - and he did with the support of the security guys and rangers there anyway. This time, we got tickets for everyone - but in two buses.
The evening safari starts around 3.30pm. The day was hot and humid. It rained the night before and while the days tend to get hot for 3-4 hours, the weather was mild and rained almost every evening. So, though I was tired, it was also with the expectation that the weather will turn for good and will start rain.
There were bush fires sometime back and the effect of them can be seen in the forest. Compared to the morning safari, the evening safari started off with an absolutely empty forest. It was difficult to spot even the deer or the peacocks which were roaming all around in the morning. It was, as if, the wild life has disappeared.
Quickly after we started the weather changed and given that the wild life sighting was close to nil, it was difficult to stop oneself from nodding off. The situation was so bad that the bus stopped when a wood pecker is sighted.
However, we drove deep into the forest compared to the morning safari as the waterholes seem to be completely empty. After a while we crossed the highway onto the other side of the park towards the Kabini reservoir. This part of the forest was lush and we can spot the deers and elephants again. The reservoir itself is a huge piece of art with some boats and a lot of elephants on the banks. It was a saving grace.
It was about 6pm and the bus turned back in the way we came and apparently there were no tigers to see. Just when we crossed the paved road back into the jungle, the call came and the bus rushed to the next waterhole.
The drivers of the buses and jeeps keep calling each other on the sightings and it is a good way to ensure that everyone gets to see the animals. The only complaint I've is that they should be using battery powered vehicles as the diesel ones are noisy and pretty bad for the environment.
We reached the waterhole and there he was. Half way into the water, he was cooling off after a hot day and was nonchalant about the bunch of vehicles on the other side of the water hole. I am pretty sure he was disturbed by the noisy approach of our vehicle. As soon as we stopped, he got up, turned and walked back into the forest and lay down a little further into the bush. We could see his tail waggling but nothing much.
The excitement of seeing him in the water was palpable. I almost forgot to pull my poor phone camera to take the picture. Only when he started walking back that I realized that and took a picture. But a tiger is not about a picture. Watching him in his natural habitat, you realize that a tiger much more than just an animal in that place.
He owns the place. He was not perturbed by the noise or the gaze of so many people. He was sure of himself and if he chooses, he knows that he can send everyone there helter skelter. He is magnanimous and elects to walk away. The mysticism of his appearance and the way people react to his presence is something to be seen and felt. A tiger is nothing but a demi-god.
The gushing adoration of that animal is not unreasonable as the feelings he evokes cannot be said but can only be felt. However, it is to be said that the loss of the tiger population in the forests is real and at this rate, the entire tiger population of the world will go extinct in the next 5-10 years. It is that close. It is a sad thing but unless poaching is contained and the reserves extended, this problem is real.
The exciting safari done, it was back to the hammock at our stay and more musings on that exciting day.
A 3 hour safari may seem like a lot of time - but is actually not enough time to see even a smaller part of the park. One, is due to the fact that there are no paved roads and we have to drive on dirt tracks which slows us down and that you have to ride slow if you have to have a decent chance of spotting any wildlife.
The evening safari starts around 3.30pm. The day was hot and humid. It rained the night before and while the days tend to get hot for 3-4 hours, the weather was mild and rained almost every evening. So, though I was tired, it was also with the expectation that the weather will turn for good and will start rain.
The drivers of the buses and jeeps keep calling each other on the sightings and it is a good way to ensure that everyone gets to see the animals. The only complaint I've is that they should be using battery powered vehicles as the diesel ones are noisy and pretty bad for the environment.
The excitement of seeing him in the water was palpable. I almost forgot to pull my poor phone camera to take the picture. Only when he started walking back that I realized that and took a picture. But a tiger is not about a picture. Watching him in his natural habitat, you realize that a tiger much more than just an animal in that place.
He owns the place. He was not perturbed by the noise or the gaze of so many people. He was sure of himself and if he chooses, he knows that he can send everyone there helter skelter. He is magnanimous and elects to walk away. The mysticism of his appearance and the way people react to his presence is something to be seen and felt. A tiger is nothing but a demi-god.
The exciting safari done, it was back to the hammock at our stay and more musings on that exciting day.
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