[gd1418]

Reference the previous post wherein I had mentioned that I wrote to Mrs. Bina Kak, the Minister for Tourism, Govt of Rajasthan, on her FB account abou the pathetic state of affairs at the RTDC's Midway, Behror, I got a prompt response from her.

Given below:

[abheekg]

This is good news. If only we could have more of her tribe.

OT: How are the leopard sightings at Sariska ? I will plan a trip there based on your inputs.

Dr. A Ghosh

[gd1418]

Though there are supposed to be 50 odd leopards in Sariska, I've not sighted even one in all my visits. Maybe you might prove lucky and I might also get to see one...

Originally Posted by abheekg

OT: How are the leopard sightings at Sariska ? I will plan a trip there based on your inputs.

Dr. A Ghosh

[ashthedivx]

My bad.. I had to miss the opportunity due to cousin's marriage !!

When are you guys planning next ??

[abheekg]

@Guru Dutt sir: In my opinion the situation at Sariska now is very similar to Pench about 10 years back.

10 years back the Tiger count at Pench was about 8 with Charger and Badi maa being the most dominant Tigers with territories which encompassed almost the entire of MP Pench. 10 years back you had assured Leopard sightings in every drive as the Tiger numbers were so less. But as the Tigers proliferated, Leopard sightings went down.

You should get Leopards at Sariska if you plan well.

Dr. A Ghosh

[abheekg]

@Guru Dutt sir: In my opinion the situation at Sariska now is very similar to Pench about 10 years back.

10 years back the Tiger count at Pench was about 8 with Charger and Badi maa being the most dominant Tigers with territories which encompassed almost the entire of MP Pench. 10 years back you had assured Leopard sightings in every drive as the Tiger numbers were so less. But as the Tigers proliferated, Leopard sightings went down.


You should get Leopards at Sariska if you plan well.

Dr. A Ghosh

[lordofgondor]

Originally Posted by abheekg

You should get Leopards at Sariska if you plan well.

Dr. A Ghosh

Doc, can you please elaborate a bit on the planning front? Does it relate to what time to visit? I've been to a couple of jungle safaris but those have always been more to explore the jungle then for sightings. But now am having an itch to view & frame those big cats in their habitat.

[gd1418]

You are very right Doctor. With the introduction of the Tigers and they exploring & marking their territory, the Leopards are straying out. The famous Tiger Vs Leopard conflict. Leopards are now being frequently spotted in nearby villages and a few have been cornered and killed.

Originally Posted by abheekg

@Guru Dutt sir: In my opinion the situation at Sariska now is very similar to Pench about 10 years back.

10 years back the Tiger count at Pench was about 8 with Charger and Badi maa being the most dominant Tigers with territories which encompassed almost the entire of MP Pench. 10 years back you had assured Leopard sightings in every drive as the Tiger numbers were so less. But as the Tigers proliferated, Leopard sightings went down.

I agree Doc. Leopard being a very shy & nocturnal animal by nature, sighting one is rare and prized too. They mostly move either at dawn or dusk. For me, staying overnight at Sariska so that to enter the jungle at 7 am (opening time) doesn't make sense. The option for me is to leave home at 3 so that I reach there just about in time for the Park to open and then stay the whole day. I normally reach around 11:30 and stay till 6 pm. I haven't yet seen one during dusk.

The other problem is the prolific human prescence due to the location of the Temple right in the deep. Leopard wold generally avoid areas frequented by humans. They also prefer heights and generally are on the higher reaches of Sariska, where unfortunately no vehicle can go.

Lordofgondor: that is what planning is...

Originally Posted by abheekg

You should get Leopards at Sariska if you plan well.

Dr. A Ghosh

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

Doc, can you please elaborate a bit on the planning front? Does it relate to what time to visit? I've been to a couple of jungle safaris but those have always been more to explore the jungle then for sightings. But now am having an itch to view & frame those big cats in their habitat.

[lordofgondor]

Originally Posted by gd1418

Lordofgondor: that is what planning is...

Right Sir, I think I understand the aspect of being at the right place at the right time. Time to start planning a trip to Siriska.

[deky]

Apparently Ms. Bina Kak is a pretty proactive minister. But as they say "Haathi ke daant dikhaney ke aur and khaney ke aur" ( an elephant's teeth are different for eating and different for show) so unfortunately really cant say with these ministers if they will be able to make some difference or no.

Atleast you did your duty as a citizen and got it to her notice. Well done!!

Infact Ms. Bina Kak was in news last week for what she did in Ranthambore. She was out for an outing in the park and saw a tiger. She took some photographs and when she saw the pics at home she realised that the animal was badly wounded.

She immediately got into action and informed the related authorities. The tiger was treated in time and was saved. Otherwise as per the doctors, the tiger had suffered fatal injuries and would not have survived.

And apparently the tiger was a mother of two young ones!!

Read the full story here

EDIT: and on a lighter note GD and KP you still dont believe me that there was a leopard stuck on a tree far away on the mountain top, do you?? And I thought I had my moment of glory then. Lol!!

[abheekg]

Let me try to give everyone here of how I usually plan my visits to wildlife parks which I have not visited before.

Guru Dutt sir, Decky&the others: please upload a topographical map of sariska with the sanctuary boundary and the various routes marked in the map.You will be able to generate such a map if you have GPS logs from your previous visits.You can integrate the logs with google maps.

Lets have a map &then I'll elaborate on the planning process.

Dr. A Ghosh

@decky: That tigress died 1 week back !

[gd1418]

Yes Deky I know about T 5. She had a wound that was infested with maggots. T 5 expired later. Saving the cubs is now a big problem & project.

And did you not hear further about that stuck Leopard? Finally it called the 'Van Vibhag', who in turn contacted the Fire Services Department. They came in their Red vehicle, parked at the base of that mountain, extended their high rise ladder, reached the stuck animal and rescued. All the resident animals of Sariska were witnessing this unusual rescue operation and at the end clapped. I heard that ST 2, ST 4 & ST 3 too were in the audience. The grateful Leopard gifted a prized Sambhar antler to the fire personnel.

Originally Posted by deky

Infact Ms. Bina Kak was in news last week for what she did in Ranthambore. She was out for an outing in the park and saw a tiger. She took some photographs and when she saw the pics at home she realised that the animal was badly wounded.

She immediately got into action and informed the related authorities. The tiger was treated in time and was saved. Otherwise as per the doctors, the tiger had suffered fatal injuries and would not have survived.

And apparently the tiger was a mother of two young ones!!

Read the full story here

EDIT: and on a lighter note GD and KP you still dont believe me that there was a leopard stuck on a tree far away on the mountain top, do you?? And I thought I had my moment of glory then. Lol!!

Originally Posted by abheekg

Let me try to give everyone here of how I usually plan my visits to wildlife parks which I have not visited before.

Guru Dutt sir, Decky&the others: please upload a topographical map of sariska with the sanctuary boundary and the various routes marked in the map.You will be able to generate such a map if you have GPS logs from your previous visits.You can integrate the logs with google maps.

Lets have a map &then I'll elaborate on the planning process.



Dr. A Ghosh

@decky: That tigress died 1 week back !

[gd1418]

Please refer to my post #:90 where I had mentioned about the strayed T 7 from Ranthambhore.

The latest update from Sariska

T 7 (male) of Ranthambhore hiding in Bharatpur's Keoladeo Ghana Sanctuary, tranquilised and brought to Sariska a few days back. Left out of the enclosure today & sighted by visitors. Christened ST 6.

Strayed into the territory of ST 2 & ST 4. Major confrontation with ST 2 & 4 averted by alert forest guards by bursting crackers and separating the three....yippeee. That's good news. More the merrier....

Small detail

Now you can take a full day safari in Sariska starting at 7 am in the morning and ending at 6 pm in the evening. The guide and the gypsy can be hired for full day for Rs.3700/- all inclusive. The vehicle entry and per person charges are separate. Enjoy this before Sariska becomes another Corbett or R'bhore and the rates hit the roof...

[abheekg]

T7 or ST6 in Sariska is good news but the relocation of an adult cat into territory of other tigers has to be done in a scientific way and only after a proper study about possible interactions with other cats in vicinity.

It can be very traumatic for a cat to be in Bharatpur one day (without any competition nearby) to getting tranquilised and finding himself in Sariska the next day with other cats around it.

I feel its not the last time we'll hear about misadventures of ST6

Any news of my leopards?

AG

[gd1418]

I totally agree with you on this. I was speaking to the DFO on this. He mentioned that the Wildlife Protection Society of India, The National Tiger Conservation task Force etc., were all involved in this project and proper care was being taken.

On the 23rd, just three days after my visit, a big male Leopard gave sighting for almost 90 minutes to some in the morning.

Keeping that in view, I'm planning to enter the park at 7 am on my next visit and stay on the whole day till 6 pm. So, if not at dawn, then maybe at dusk I might get lucky..

Originally Posted by abheekg

T7 or ST6 in Sariska is good news but the relocation of an adult cat into territory of other tigers has to be done in a scientific way and only after a proper study about possible interactions with other cats in vicinity.

It can be very traumatic for a cat to be in Bharatpur one day (without any competition nearby) to getting tranquilised and finding himself in Sariska the next day with other cats around it.

I feel its not the last time we'll hear about misadventures of ST6

Any news of my leopards?

AG