3rd April 2012, 10:35
| #16 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Sydney/Kolkata
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3rd April 2012, 13:16
| #17 | |||
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Jaipur
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| Re: One Lucky Sunday At Ranthambhore- 24/03/12 Trip Report!! Quote:
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Lol, you have not see a Tiger since a year and you getting envious? This was my first tiger sighting ever  Quote:
Regards!! ....Travelogue Contd Lunch And Organising the Afternoon Safari We were just bubbling around with energy all over the resort. I am sure we would have been dead tired and feeling lazy and very disappointed if we had not spotted the stripes. One single incident changes the complete mood. We had a hearty breakfast and decided what to do for the afternoon. The hotel had categorically said that getting an afternoon safari booked through them would be impossible as they had exhausted their quota and so had the other hotels around. Vishwas being an ever optimist decided to make a few phone calls. I left him to do that and I myself went inside the pool to chill. Within 15 minutes he came and joined me in the pool. I asked him the status and he said we will come to know only by 1400 hrs. The pool was quite relaxing in the afternoon sun  It was 1230 by now so we still had time to kill. After having a shower we decided to go to Taj Vivanta property and treat ourselves to lunch there. Basically it was celebrating sighting a tiger. And also if we did not manage an afternoon safari atleast we would have pampered ourselves. Taj Vivanta Property is called "Sawai Madhopur Lodge"  They have a beautifull property there with huge gardens. And the property also looked quite big.  Anyway without wasting time we headed straight to the restaurant and started devouring on the buffet spread. The food was pretty good but the service was really very poor. I myself have worked at Taj Mumbai for 3 years and I know Taj is capable of performing much better in terms of service offered. Anyway, why spoil the mood over trivial matters we thought and enjoyed the food. Also this guy playing the “Eik Tara” was quite melodious.  It was still 15 minutes to 1400 hrs and we were done with lunch. In the excitement to know the status if a safari has materialized Vishwas made the phone call again. I guessed that the other person would have shouted at Vishwas for making the phone call early because Vishwas kept the phone down with a sheepish look and a meek sorry. One thing I like about Vishwas is that he is quite persistent if he wants to achieve something. On the phone he was being quite respectful with the other person, yet, putting the message across that we badly want to do a safari. So not to give up he called exactly at 1400hrs again. This time his phone call went unattended. Afternoon safari seemed unlikely. But surprises, surprise, he got a return call in 10 minutes confirming that we will be picked up exactly at 1515 hrs from our hotel so we have to be ready. Finally we would be going in the jungle and that too with some forest officials. Our happiness knew no bounds. Actually Vishwas has done tiger census twice at RNP. He had met the forest officials then and built a rapport with them. Luckily he had also saved their telephone numbers. Because all our efforts to try and get a safari the normal way got exhausted he thought he should try and give them a call and see if they can fix us in one of the Gypsy’s. They had some work till Guda Chowki in the evening so after a lot of persistence and requests from us they decided to give us a lift as they themselves could not find a place for us in tourist Gypsy’s. With the afternoon ride fixed we came back to our resort. In between we stopped and clicked a photo graph of Jhoomar Baori. Jhoomar Baori is an RTDC hotel perched on top of a hillock and is closest to the Jungle.  We rested for 15 mnts in our room, quickly got ready and by 1500 hrs we were waiting at the resort gate for the guys to come and pick us up. We were lucky enough to get a Safari in the afternoon as well. To be Contd….. | |||
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3rd April 2012, 17:07
| #18 |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Jaipur
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| Re: One Lucky Sunday At Ranthambhore- 24/03/12 Trip Report!! AFTERNOON SAFARI As informed by them they were there exactly at 1515 hrs to pick us up from the resort gate. The gypsy already had 5 other gents and the last 2 seats were kept for us. We climbed in quickly and were on our way to Gaumukh- the RNP entry gate. Here we still had to enter the vehicle number but the process was much faster. In fact the entry was made with a wave of hand. Entry of vehicles is necessary because the guards should know how many vehicles are inside the park and how many have come out. Essential to keep a track of vehicles, after all its wild territory from here on and anything untoward can happen. Morning safari we had taken a left after Gaumukh and now we took a right turn. We were happy that atleast we would be going to a different part of RNP. While talking to them they just told us that we would straight be going to Guda Chowki, doing their work there and returning back immediately. With their agenda we realized that we won’t be on a look out for wild life but still we were extremely happy that atleast we were inside the Jungle and enjoying the nature! I have plotted the route we took that afternoon so as I narrate you guys can refer to the map below for reference. Google map Route for the afternoon safari  The route we were traveling on was covered with fallen leaves. That indicated that this was not in any zone hence not frequented by any other vehicles. And because it was not used by other vehicles the route was quite bumpy as well. At lot of places the incline was high and the driver had to engage in 4X4 mode. Travelling on a hardly used road   The jungle got thicker as we moved forward and because now we were entering a ravine the light also got less. On our left side started the Fort walls and on our right was a stream that was flowing and after that started another cliff. The Fort walls on our left  On the right was a stream and then another cliff  The hill that has the fort is called “Thambhore” and the cliff on the right is called the “Rann”. It’s said that during the year 1299 AD there was a war between King Hammir and Allaudin Khilji. Apparently Allaudin Khilji tried to attack the fort keeping his canons and his men on the Rann, but he was defeated and had to retreat. After that the combined area was called Ranthambhore. The jungle in Rann ravine is very thick and because it is surrounded by high hills it has a large population of leopards and also is home to some Sloth bears. So we were on the lookout for the same. But luck had something else instore for us. Suddenly we realized that the gypsy’s leaf spring had broken. Getting stuck in midst of a thick jungle is an experience in its own. Broken Leaf Spring  Luckily our gypsy had a radio set and immediately help was asked for. We were told that if we want to get off the vehicle we could do so but were asked to stay around and not to go out of sight. Well we had no plans anyways to move away from there. Who wants to when you have wild animals roaming in the area? We stayed put and started talking with the forest officials and listening to their interesting stories about the jungle and their job. Some of the stories that I thought were interesting I will share with you guys. Close encounters 1. One of the guys showed us his mauled knee. He was attacked by a sloth bear that had his knee in his mouth. Some people had collected and had started throwing stones at the bear, but the bear wouldn’t let him go. He said that one big stone hit his head and that made him shout like mad. Listening to his scream the bear finally let him go. Later he was hospitalized and his knee was reconstructed. 2. Then other of them gent told us that he was resting at Jogi Mahal while waiting for a minister to arrive. Since it was still time for the minister to come he decided to catch a shut eye. He was laying flat on his back in the gardens of Jogi Mahal and suddenly he felt something behind him. From the corner of his eye he saw T-17 just one foot behind him. He said a prayer and kept laying there still. Soon the tigress walked away as quietly as she walked to him. Thanking his stars he rushed inside. Luckily he said the other staff did not make any noise nor shouted, because if they did, most probably that would have startled T-17 and then she could have attacked. Re-locating Of Tigers Because, I had visited Sariska quite a few times before coming to RNP I asked him why the Tigers in Sariska were not reproducing, while in RNP the numbers is growing very fast. He answered that most of the tigers that were relocated to Sariska could not find their own territory at RNP and ventured into unsafe zones. They were caught from their and then re-located. As per him relocation is like moving those humans who have lost their house into refugee camps. And in refugee camps humans never actually settle down because after all, its still not home. Similarly the tigers have not yet identified Sariska as their home and have not yet settled enough to re-produce. This did make sense to me. Wildlife and Human Interference One of them said that some human interference is necessary to save the wild but we should know where to draw the line. He said he does not support the feeding of Macchli- The famed tigress of RNP because she is now unable to fend for herself. He also cited an example about a tigress that got hurt and subsequently died leaving her young cubs behind. The forest official initially put them in an enclosed area and started to feed them. But still they were killed later because they did not learn the art of survival from their mother. He said its best that nature takes its own course. We should not interfere with it Why the forest Job? I asked them if they took this job for the love of nature or they could not find any other job. One of them was very frank to reply. He said initially it was because he had nothing else to do and he got selected for this so he took it up. But Later on he said, he started to enjoy his job as he started to get closer to nature. He said he has spotted the tiger atleast 1500 times (apparently he maintains a diary where he writes down about every spotting) and still if he spots one he always stops and appreciates its might, its beauty and its grace. This was heartening to here!! Atleast with his answer we knew that if we have a chance spotting the big cat we will definitely stop!! One hour had passed listening to the experiences and by then help had arrived. The mechanics had got a brand new leaf spring. Thank god for Maruti who’s spare parts are readily available.  The mechanics got down to doing their job  By the time we were on the move again It was already 1700 hrs. As the sun started to set behind the cliff the heat lessened and the shadows started to become long.  After a while they stopped at a Kund and told us that this was Priyanka Gandhi’s favourite place. This was known as Khemcha Kund. I was allowed to get down and have a quick look at the Kund. Khemcha Kund From Outside  Inside Khemcha Kund  After bowing to the diety of the Kund we moved ahead  Soon we exited the ravine and now on our left was a huge expanse of dry grass lands. Everything looked quiet except a few heard of deer’s grazing in them. Dry grasslands also looked beautifull  A Kingfisher perched on a twig  Suddenly on the left we saw a female Sambhar Deer nursing her fawn. The fawn was busy suckling and never noticed us. The mother was very alert and was looking at us and all around. This was really a cute moment. Not to disturb them any further we moved ahead. A mother and her fawn  Always alert  Soon we reached a point that is called Pandu Deh. It has cliff rising above a watering hole and the cliff has five parts that signify the 5 Pandava brothers, hence the name. PaduDeh Area  Last time here during census time, Vishwas had spotted a tigress with her 3 cubs in a cave and he was pointing me the cave. I was busy looking at the cave on my left and suddenly the gypsy braked. I looked in the front and my jaw dropped looking at the sight ahead. Just 40 feet ahead at a turn a tigress was sitting right in the middle of the road. She was later identified as T-39 aka Mala Pic taken at 75mm  To be Contd…. Last edited by deky : 3rd April 2012 at 17:29. |
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3rd April 2012, 17:45
| #19 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Gurgaon
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| Re: One Lucky Sunday At Ranthambhore- 24/03/12 Trip Report!! Quote:
The picture of Mala is awesome! i think the best of the lot till now - the pose is too good. Pls crop it a bit and show us some closeup. | |
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3rd April 2012, 23:30
| #20 |
| Senior - BHPian  | Re: One Lucky Sunday At Ranthambhore- 24/03/12 Trip Report!! I was so engrossed reading the log and looking at T-17 and its pictures and also that of T-39 that I forgot to write my comments. Deky, you were very lucky to go to Guda Chowki as that is not on the normal tourist circuit. Though not banned, the forest officials normally do not allot this section to other gypsies. They reserve this section for the VVIPs. And this section almost always guarantees a sighting. Since this was a forest gypsy, it had no such restrictions. Waiting for more... Sigh... I've not had a Tiger sighting since December '11.  |
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4th April 2012, 13:01
| #21 | ||
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Jaipur
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| Re: One Lucky Sunday At Ranthambhore- 24/03/12 Trip Report!! Quote:
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And I know your time is about to change soon. But even without the Tigers your logs and your stories are a treat to read and your photographs (especially now with the TC) are a treat to see. So please continue with all the good work!! AFTERNOON SAFARI CONTINUED I was not expecting to see any wild life this evening leave alone seeing a tiger. I was actually not prepared as I had kept my camera down. So this chance sighting of T-39 came as a big surprise for me. I started to respect the tigers even more because I realized that she would have heard us coming from far. But like a true Royal Blood she did not leave the road; she kept sitting waiting for us till we came. It was as if she was challenging us. She was swaying her tail from left to right in a slow motion. She kept looking at us, I could not look at her in her eyes even if I wanted to, and I confess I was too scared to do it. I was actually trembling (I seriously was) we were just 2 leaps across from this powerful animal. She time to time adjusted her hind legs, as if ready to leap. The swaying of the tail I thought was a sign of anger. (Later I was told that swaying is normal but if the tiger thumps the tail on the ground then you are in trouble) Our Gypsy was quiet, no one uttered a word, all eyes were fixed on admiring her. After a few seconds, which actually felt like eternity , murmur’s started in our Gypsy. I also came out of my trance like situation and changed the lens of my camera to 75-300mm. Actually everyone has a different agenda when they spot a Tiger My Agenda Was mainly to take photographs and capture this magnificent and elusive creature forever. As soon as I came out of the initial shock of spotting the tiger, my hands automatically went to my camera Forest guards agenda The few forest guards that were with us immediately started to pray. Because it was Navratra’s then and that day was Teej (a very holy festival in Rajasthan) and because a Tiger is associated with “Mata” (A Hindu Goddess) so spotting of A tigress was considered to be good omen. And Plus later I realized that they were going to Guda Chowki to perform a Puja at a Mata Temple close by hence this spotting became even more auspicious. Also because these Guards spend all the time in the Forest, so they start associating the nature with Religion. I guess it’s a belief that keeps them going. Even the incident of the leaf spring of our Gypsy breaking and thus us getting delayed and subsequently getting to see T-39 was associated to “Mata” blessing them with this sighting!! Forest Officials Agenda The official first wanted to identify which tigress was it? After spotting the cut on her left ear, he identified it as T-39. Now that it was T-39 he next mentioned that she was pregnant till a few days back. But since she was sitting at such an angle he could not make out till later that the chances are high that she has delivered. Now for some pictures of T-39 Close up shot of T-39, showing her broken left ear that helps in her Identification  Those bright eyes, scared me for a bit  Cats whiskers  “Her Highness” always has the right of way  Looking intently in one direction  Challenging us, but who are we to even accept her challenge. She wins Hands down  Stamping her authority on us, she shifts her focus  She kept sitting for about 10 minutes, and then decided it was time to walk. As soon as she got up the forest official said that most probably she has delivered. He pointed at her tummy tucked in and also showed us her swollen mammary glands and erect teats. All signs pointing towards a nursing mother. This was happy news. She then started walking straight to a tree and marked her presence and walked off. The forest official wanted to know more, so he told the driver to follow her. But she soon disappeared in the thicket and we could not follow her more. The official desperately wanted to confirm if T-39 had indeed delivered so we went back about 500 mtrs on the same route hoping she would come out on the other side but she never did. Anyway they concurred that even if she has indeed delivered, the cubs won’t be more than 5-6 days old and its too early for the mother to get them out of their safe zone. So it was a futile chase. Now for some pics of T-39 walking away from us She gets us and starts walking  With her tummy tucked in we realized she must have delivered  Swollen mammary glands and erect teats, all signs of a nursing mother  She is going to the tree  Rubs herself against the trunk of the tree  Positions herself and lifts her tail  Rubs her anal glands marking her scent  Sprays her urine on the bark  I feel this was done to show us that this is where our intruding in her affairs should end. She was showing that she has some prized position kept ahead and we should not follow her anymore. Walking off confidently  And then she disappears in the Jungle  With everyone’s agenda in the gypsy fulfilled we reached Guda Chowki very happy. We had seen a Big Cat, Guards were blessed by “Mata” and the Forest Official had the good news of T-39 being a mother to Report. At Guda Chowki  To be Contd….Guda Chowki and The Puja at Mata mandir Last edited by deky : 4th April 2012 at 13:02. | ||
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4th April 2012, 13:38
| #22 | ||
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Gurgaon
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| Re: One Lucky Sunday At Ranthambhore- 24/03/12 Trip Report!! Quote:
I think - by the end of this year, we should see some cubs in Sariska as well. Quote:
I must admit that the pictures are very nice - specially the ones of her sitting on her haunches. And - that is not a resting pose, it looks like she is prepared to jump, so you had every right to be trembling BTW - when i went to RNP in March, i knew that T-39 was pregnant and some said that she had also delivered, so i was hoping to see her with her cubs. Waiting for more pics. | ||
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4th April 2012, 13:50
| #23 | |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Jaipur
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| Re: One Lucky Sunday At Ranthambhore- 24/03/12 Trip Report!! Quote:
Thanks for the comments Sachin, I do think she has cubs now, hence she was ready in such a pose just incase we ventured in her territory. I hope your feeling about getting to know about cubs in Sariska by this year end is right!! Because as things stands now, with the agitation and all at the gates of Sariska things are not looking good for the park. I just hope the agitation does not spread inside the park. These guys are unfortunately quite capable of doing that also. Regards | |
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4th April 2012, 17:31
| #24 | |
| Senior - BHPian | Re: One Lucky Sunday At Ranthambhore- 24/03/12 Trip Report!! Beautiful, graceful & powerful T 39. A little bit that I claim to know about the Tigers, both of you surprised each other by suddenly bumping into each other at a curve. T 39 is a lactating & feeding mother and hence couldn't have killed for a few days & must be quite hungry. She was stalking & sulking since your arrival made the prey run away. Her looking now & then at a direction points to that. But the biggest give away is her claws. Watch her feet closely in the pictures below. Her claws are out in the open. This happens only when the Tiger is on a hunt. As usual a juicy narration and juicier pictures... Quote:
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4th April 2012, 19:58
| #25 | |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Jaipur
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| Re: One Lucky Sunday At Ranthambhore- 24/03/12 Trip Report!! Quote:
EVENING SAFARI CONTD.... It was almost 1800 hrs by the time we reached Guda Chowki. The sun had already set behind the hills. The actual agenda for this drive was yet to be completed. The guys yet had to perform the Puja at the Temple. It was Navratra’s and this Puja is a big ritual in Rajasthan. The temple was about 15-20 minutes’ walk up the hill in the Jungle. They were carrying all the paraphernalia to perform the Puja. Walking at dusk in the jungle is an experience in itself. The jungle actually comes to life then. The predators love this time of the day as its much cooler now and it’s easier for them to hunt. As we walked, we could hear them but we could not see them. Infact on foot I did not want to see them either. Walking to The Mandir   Soon we reached the Mandir and the officials and gaurds started doing their stuff. Each one knew what exactly they had to do and with full devotion they cleaned, decorated and then prayed to the Deity. Decorating and serenading the Deity    This was another lucky thing as usually no one is allowed on foot in a Jungle. It was time to head back out to civilization. By the time we started back it was 1845 hrs. The jungle looks or rather sounds even that much eerie in the night. With no sounds of any vehicles around and just calls of Sambhar Deer’s, peacock and langur’s and the continuous chirping of birds returning home and the buzzing of night insects , the complexion had totally changed.    When we came to the fort area I asked them if we could go the same way where we had spotted T-17 in the morning to see if we could spot her again and luckily they accepted to that. But she was not to be seen. The spot we saw T-17 in the morning  The only thing we saw on road was this Jungle hare  At 1945hrs we were out of Singhdwar and were heading to the resort now.  BACK AT THE HOTEL Once we reached the hotel we bid farewell to all the forest Guys and thanked them profusely for the ride and such a wonderfull evening and experience. Though we might have spotted a tiger without them also but the experience we got with them and the knowledge we gained about the jungle was immense. May God Bless Them!! We had plans to leave back for Jaipur in the evening itself, that’s if the Safari had finished at normal time, but it was too late now and moreover we were very tired, so we decided to stay back for the night and leave next morning. We quickly refreshed ourselves and headed for dinner. After dinner we had one more thing to do. We had to go and drive on the main road. We were told that sighting a leopard is a very common occurrence these days as they keep crossing over to civilization in search of easy prey like dogs and pigs. We drove up and down the main road connecting RNP and Sawai Madhopur a few times but did not spot anything. We even drove up till Jhoomar BaorI but still nothing. Not disappointed we returned to our tent and within no time we had slept. NEXT MORNING - DRIVE BACK TO JAIPUR Breakfast is only served after Safari’s get over. Since we were not in a safari this morning we requested if we could get early breakfast. Well early was 0900 hrs and the hotel obliged. After settling our dues and thanking the hotel staff for a wonderfull stay by 1000 hrs we were on our way to Jaipur This time we took Sawaimadhopur – Lalsot – Toonga – Bassi – Jaipur route. Apart from a stretch of about 5 kms around Lalsot the route was very good.  Once at Jaipur, Vishwas and I decided to make this a ritual every month. He dropped me to my office and he headed his own way!! This was one lucky day in the wild!! THE END Last edited by deky : 4th April 2012 at 20:08. | |
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4th April 2012, 20:06
| #26 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 75
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| Re: One Lucky Sunday At Ranthambhore- 24/03/12 Trip Report!! Thats a very well put together piece of your account with the tiger (s)  . What luck to have spotted 2 of the most majestic and graceful cats on a single day!! The photographs are very well composed and shot too. I am waiting for my trip to the jungle to spot the stripes. Hope it happens soon. |
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4th April 2012, 23:40
| #27 |
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10th April 2012, 12:14
| #28 | ||
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Jaipur
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| Re: One Lucky Sunday At Ranthambhore- 24/03/12 Trip Report!! Quote:
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Regards | ||
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