Team-BHP - Our shortest trip into Srisailam forest, ever.

That's great news Fazal. Long time back when I asked some guys at Farahabad if they had seen a tiger they mentioned that usually around 1 am they've seen one in the vicinity. Its wonderful to now have it confirmed by you. All the more reason that they continue shutting that road after evening sets in

Lets plan on visiting the place again. Mr. Shankaran has moved back to Hyd. Don't know the new DFO. I think now that they have Farahabad and Gundem they should officially start a early morning safari from Mannanur for tiger and wildlife spotting. This way those night stay cottages get used too

Quote:

Originally Posted by shams (Post 1630673)

Very Nice pictures of a wintery morning in the forest

Shams,
Thankyou.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gd1418 (Post 1630958)

Fazal,

It was really gutsy of your two friends to have done a 2.5 km jog inside the dense forest. What I don't understand is that you feared a bear attack but why not a tiger attack?

gd,
The tiger will shy away from humans, unless it is provoked or mating or has cubs near by, under all circumstances it will do so if it feels threatened or its territory is encroached upon, unless it is a man eater.
Sloth Bears though are 100% vegetarians, there is a long record of bear attacks in this particular area, mainly due to the reason that, its cubs were killed by local Chenchu tribesmen for consumption (game meat), so this female is on a vendetta spree for 2 weeks or more. Killing by ripping its target by using its 6 inch claws.
The Tiger or Bear behavior is a matter of experiences almanac, as they are wild anything can happen apart from the above predicted.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravveendrra (Post 1631340)

Fazal saab strikes again! Great pics, lovely photos and yes, I too am awed by your passion for adventure and wildlife.
Cheers,

Rav,
Thank you, this the high I derive, apart from Jeeps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKG (Post 1632730)

DKG,
Mr. Shankaran has been transferred back to Hyd and is now in the vigilance dept. The DFO there now is Mr.
Yes, it is a very nice idea to encourage eco-wildlife tourism there and generate revenue for the cottages too.
It was great to see two sets of pug marks, which confirmed the presence of the big cats. Planning on visiting again this week end for two days, will give you an update for sure.
Regards,

Fazal Saab, even though a short trip, the pics as usual are great. How I wish I could be with you ppl on that trip, early morning in that jungle. You are very very lucky sir!!!

But the biggest thing that brought be happiness was the pug marks, which indicate the presence of tiger. I was not very optimistic about the tiger population in and around Srisailam as I saw lot of things that should not be happening in a reserve forest and that made me think that tigers must have gone from this region long back. But this confirmation that tigers still exist is very heartening to note.

Please be on the trail and if possible catch hold of a tiger in your camera! Also, it would be great if you can use your contacts, if any, to encourage eco-wildlife tourism in this region. This would also help eliminate some unfavourable activities that go on in these jungles...

Thanks once again and Happy Hunting... with your cam ofcourse! :-)

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Originally Posted by saleem_k (Post 1633969)

Saleem Sahab,
The feel of pure oxygen in the jungle morning is out of this world.
Pug marks here too amazed me, I too was pessimistic about their presence here. Only wish I can capture the Srisailam Tiger on camera, no one has yet. This desire is unfilled since 17 years.
Don't know what the future holds for this forest in the coming days and the formation of a separate state means less manpower and resources and more mismanagement.
Pray for the Tiger on my camera.
Regards,

dear fazal saab et al from hyderabad

iam frm mumbai travelling to hyd in new year and travelling straight from airport to srisailam.

i want to take the forest dept drive in the forest to farahabad viewpoint. what are the timings?shd i take the tour on the way itself to srisailam?or shd i come back the next day?i plan to go to nagarjunsagar the next day.how shd i plan my sightseeing around srisailam.

how is the road to nagarjunsagar thro mancherla which takes around 3.5 hours?shd i take this route?

are these places close to srisailam itself?sakshi ganpati paladhara panchdhara and the ropeway?

regards

praveen

Quote:

Originally Posted by pravdr (Post 1653393)

dear fazal saab et al from hyderabad
iam frm mumbai travelling to hyd in new year and travelling straight from airport to srisailam.
i want to take the forest dept drive in the forest to farahabad viewpoint. what are the timings?shd i take the tour on the way itself to srisailam?or shd i come back the next day?i plan to go to nagarjunsagar the next day.how shd i plan my sightseeing around srisailam.
how is the road to nagarjunsagar thro mancherla which takes around 3.5 hours?shd i take this route?
are these places close to srisailam itself?sakshi ganpati paladhara panchdhara and the ropeway?
regards
praveen

Praveen,
Sorry I missed your post.
From airport go straight to Srisailam, you will come to Mannanur check post from where the forest starts, there ask for directions,,, actually you don't need to as the forest highway directly takes you to Srisailam temple and on the way is Farahabad, where you will see a Tiger statue on the road itself. Here you can book a Jeep or Gypsy for 500 Rupees, which will take you the view point and on the way back get you out through Gundem (this is where I have got the fresh tiger pug marks in the early morning).
Then proceed to Srisailam which should be about 120kms from here,
sakshi ganpati paladhara panchdhara and the ropeway are located in the temple town of Srisailam itself. Also do go to PaatalaGanga. You can also take a boat ride to the Akka Mahadevi Temple, refer to this link:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...km-trek-2.html where we had gone last week on foot.
Nagarjunsagar thro mancherla personally I have not been on this road, you can also try this route to NagarjunaSagar...Notice, while going to Srisailam, 1 kilometer+ before you ascend the Mannanur hill range, you will see a small village crossing and you will see a sign reading CHANDRAGUPT. on your way back towards Hyderabad remember this is the route you need to take, on your righthand side now, and go through Chandragupt, this will also take you to Nagarjuna Sagar and it is very a scenic route.
Have a great time and let us hear about your trip on the forum.
Regards,