[mallumowgli]

Awesome pic of T19 sir!! And the stare is wonderful
Thanks for sharing

[harjeev]

Awesome pictures GD sir and fantastic narrations to go along.
I would have loved to see the picture of you sitting on top of the B-Pillar of the Gypsy
No matter, I would take it on our next safari.
Cheers

[gd1418]

Thanks Harjeev for liking. I wasn't sitting on the B pillar but was standing precariously with one foot on the A and the other on B.

At my age and weight along with the heavy Camera + Lens, it surely was a death-defying stunt. But finally the mind won over the matter...

I hope that this situation doesn't arise next time.

Originally Posted by harjeev

I would have loved to see the picture of you sitting on top of the B-Pillar of the Gypsy

No matter, I would take it on our next safari.

Cheers

[joe1980]

The video that shows the roar of the tiger is splendid. Often times I heard roars from others as well from the Jeep. Not sure who was entertaining who.

That should have been a wonderful experience to see a Tiger out in the wild and hear it roar. When I watched the video, I closed my eyes to hear the roar of the Tiger and that alone sent jitters in my nerves. What a magnificent animal and what a magnificent opportunity you guys had to spot that in its wilderness.

[gd1418]

Seeing a Tiger in the wild never fails to enthrall me, hence I keep on going to Sariska so very often to see the same Tigers again & again.

I've heard them roaring earlier too in other jungles but the recording was done for the first time as I'm primarily/basically a still photographer. My wife recently got the hang of doing videos from her iPad hence this result.

Wait for my last of the travelogue of this visit, you shall be more surprised.

Originally Posted by joe1980

The video that shows the roar of the tiger is splendid. Often times I heard roars from others as well from the Jeep. Not sure who was entertaining who.

That should have been a wonderful experience to see a Tiger out in the wild and hear it roar. When I watched the video, I closed my eyes to hear the roar of the Tiger and that alone sent jitters in my nerves. What a magnificent animal and what a magnificent opportunity you guys had to spot that in its wilderness.

[gd1418]

28th May, 2013 - Evening

Two of the most known, famous Tigers of the world, seen & photographed by all except me belong to India. It had been my burning desire to see them both. This compelled me to take an extensive tour of MP jungles in 2011. While I had sightings at Pench & Kanha, came back empty handed from Bandhavgarh.

I wanted to see B 2. Instead I saw his freshest pug mark in the Magadhi Zone when he crossed that to go to Tala just a few hours ago. That was it. Later I heard that he passed away due to old age & injuries.

B 2's pug mark



Second on my list was Machli, the legendary Queen of the Lakes of Ranthambhore. She was ultimately dethroned by her own daughter Sundari (T 17) who herself is no more.

Machli, the Queen Mother or the Raajmaata is still surviving and is probably the oldest living known Cat in the wild. All of 16 1/2 years. Tigers in the wild are not known to survive after 12 odd years. Territorial fights, harsh conditions, inability to hunt for prey due to advancing age etc., cause their deaths. Tigers in captivity live upto 20 odd years.

During my last year's trip I tried my level best to sight her. Except for seeing parts of her belly almost 1000 feet below in Lambi Valley, where she was struggling to devour a cheetal near a water-hole, I had no luck.

Machli, in her prime, lost one of her canines in a famous fight with a 18 feet crocodile of the Lake where she killed the croc to save her cubs. After that she was also called the crocodile slayer. That fight which lasted almost two hours, is now folklore. Those who have seen that, are the luckiest I must say. One of my friends Murli Parashar was there and clicked photographs. Given below is one of them:



Over a period of time and with age she lost two more of her canines that impeded her hunting ability. And currently she only has half of the remaining canine. She has made Lakardah area of Zone 4 as her home and stays near the Lakardah forest chowki. As & when she can't find a prey and is hungry she comes near the chowki and roars. Then the forest authorities tie a bait for her to kill & eat.

I prayed hard for her survival during the last year and when the park opened waited eagerly for news about her sighting. Machli was sighted and she seemed to be in good health. I kept a track on her on a regular basis.

So when this trip happened, one of the items on my agenda was to sight her at least. I pleaded with Guddu Bhai of my resort to somehow manage Zone 4 in one of the 5 safaris, so that I get a chance to sight Machli.

Luck favoured me and I got the zone 4 for this evening safari.

The jeep came at the appointed time and after loading my gear we left for the forest.

The Jeep



Entered the zone and straight away drove to Lakardah chowki to find out about Machli. My co-passengers, the Mehta family from Ahmedabad who were with us for the last two safaris were very nice and they let me do my own thing with the routes & areas. I must say that amongst so many co-passengers over the years they were the best. Did not move or shake the vehicle and kept silent where it was required to.

Reached the chowki where my guide Rajkumar enquired from the guard. A buffalo bait was given three days ago and it was only half-eaten. It meant that Machli was around and would come back to finish. There were two water-holes near the chowki out of which one was out-of-bounds. On the other water-hole, some Sambars and a few peacocks were drinking.

We went a bit ahead to scour the area and then came back again where the bait was killed and the half-eaten carcass was lying. Selected a vantage point and decided to wait. I told Rajkumar, that come what may, we are staking out here and not moving elsewhere to look for other Cats.

A pair of jackals & some treepies were feasting on the carcass. The jackals were very very alert. First they ran away when they saw us approaching and later came back to scavenge.

The jungle is a fantastic place and teaches you a lot. More than anything else, it teaches you how to survive by recognising sounds, smells etc.

What intrigued me was out of the pair of jackals only one returned and very cautiously after surveying the surrounding areas approached the carcass. The animal was jittery & fidgety. Why? Was he hearing or smelling something?

We heard a Cheetal call at a distance. Was Machli moving towards her kill? After two calls the deer fell silent. Then a lone Sambar called once and then silence again.

Meanwhile these two calls spooked the Jackal. He first ran a distance, stopped, looked around, sniffed the air and then slowly returned. I was enjoying this animal behaviour to the fullest.

We had been waiting for almost 50 minutes and in the meanwhile a few jeeps had arrived and two canters also had come. I had to tell the canter occupants a few times to maintain silence.

And then suddenly this Jackal scooted as if the tail was on fire. In leaps & bounds he crossed where I was parked and vanished. Aha, this meant some action was going to happen.

Scooting Jackal



The Lakardah area is full of Dhok trees and due to summers are devoid of foliage. The dry grey twigs of the trees overlap each other. I was wondering how would I photograph Machli if at all she appears.

And then slowly the Queen Mother ambled through the Dhok trees. Advanced slowly and then sat down near a tree. She appeared to be tired and weak.

With great difficulty I managed a record shot.

Machli - my first look



After another 20 odd minutes or so, she got up and came to her kill and started eating.

On the kill



I wanted a full frontal view of her face. Then only I would die in peace. She lifted her face and slowly turned around looking straight at me. Actually where I was parked, She was in my line of sight and so was I in her's.



Looks at me



Now looks straight at me - I'm blessed



Then looks in another direction



I withdrew from there and left her to eat in peace and thankfully so did the other vehicles. My life's ambition was fulfilled. I could not ask for more.

to be continued.../-

[joe1980]

That is an awesome sighting. The old age is immediately evident in the Tigers face. Does she get the bait every time or is it only when she fails with her hunt? If her age is a serious concern in the wild, then why can't she be taken captive? Could she still produce litters? If yes, then she could be taken captive and allowed to breed with a male and produce another generation? We could by this way increase Tiger numbers.

[Baddychat]

Great pictures as usual gd sir.
Sighting Machli is definitely an experience of a lifetime. Looking forward to the next parts of your travelogue.

Cheers

[gd1418]

Thank you Joe. Yes the old age is evident. The coat looses its sheen, the face kind of shrinks when you have no teeth and the limb movement is laborious.

The natural instinct of a Cat in wild is to hunt, kill & eat. Even for a Tiger in prime, 8 out of 10 attempts to hunt result in a failure. Machli, initially true to her instinct, does stalk and tries to hunt. But in her case the failure rate is much higher. It is only when she fails in the hunt, is tired & exhausted, that she comes near the chowki and roars. The guards assess the situation and then tie the bait and try their best not to habituate her.

Originally Posted by joe1980

That is an awesome sighting. The old age is immediately evident in the Tigers face. Does she get the bait every time or is it only when she fails with her hunt?

Machli is a legendary Tigress and probably there will none like her in future. Her daughter Sundari, who dethroned her, was shaping up well but something unfortunate happened to her in April and she is now presumed dead.

Due credit must be given to Machli for having survived so long in the wild and she still guards her territory fiercely. We must not interfere with nature and taking her captive will be a grave injustice. She cannot produce litters anymore since she doen't get into oestrus as that is a biological process.

She continues to draw & enthrall visitors to Ranthambhore and you shall be surprised to know and I've heard myself the scores of foreigners visiting the forest ask their guides - "show us Ma chchaa lee".

Originally Posted by joe1980

If her age is a serious concern in the wild, then why can't she be taken captive? Could she still produce litters? If yes, then she could be taken captive and allowed to breed with a male and produce another generation? We could by this way increase Tiger numbers.

Thank you. Yes indeed sighting Machali, personally for me, will remain the high-point of my life.

Originally Posted by Baddychat

Great pictures as usual gd sir.
Sighting Machli is definitely an experience of a lifetime. Looking forward to the next parts of your travelogue.

Cheers

[gd1418]

Continued...

I was overwhelmed & humbled seeing the legendary Queen Mother in the wild. Envied all those who had seen her in her prime and ruling the forest. We decided to return as had no desire to see anything else.

But there was more in store. Probably the Queen Mother's blessings? Who knows.

On our way back towards the exit we checked the Tambhakhan water-hole. Only a few Grey Francolins were playing in water. As we reached Goolar Kui saw a few jeeps parked and a general excitement in the air. Was Zalim Singh (T 25) around?

And then we heard a roar in the distant coming from the hills. The general consensus was that Star Male T 28 had had enough of truant Krishna and was coming over to look for her.

The roar at frequent intervals kept on increasing in intensity & decibels and coming nearer too. Raj Kumar, my guide, asked the driver to park the jeep a bit away from the other jeeps. When I arched my brow he said that the Tiger will come here. How correct he was.

And then we saw him descending amongst the dhok trees, looking here & there and roaring. As he came near it became clear that he was Zalim Singh.

A bit of info about Zalim.

Now, this fellow had fathered two females from T 5 who died due to infection to her injuries. Her cubs - Bina 1 & Bina 2 now relocated to Sariska, were brought-up by Zalim; a first in the Tiger world. No male Tiger has been known to rear cubs. Male Tigers are loners.

Last year in April, Sundari (T 17) bore Zalim three cubs - a male & two females, her first litter. A year later, as mentioned somewhere above & elsewhere in this thread, she disappeared leaving her three 13 month old cubs orphaned, never to be seen again.

Zalim came to rescue again and took charge of his brood & protecting them. In jest I called him "Kunwaara Baap".

By his frequent roars, we assumed that he was calling for the cubs as dusk approached. But that wasn't true which I came to know only after I left R'bhore.

As predicted by Raj Kumar, T 25 came and stood about 20 odd feet from my jeep.

Before I continue further, I must tell you that I am primarily a still photographer and in my signature given below are listed my camera equipments. D800 has a facility to make videos that never interested me. This time I had thought I would try my hand in making a video. I attempted and made a 42 sec video. I shall be posting the link later in my narration. Hope you like it. Any suggestions are welcome.

I shall let the pictures do the talking.

Zalim Singh - T 25



Turns & looks behind



Looks in annoyance at one of the jeeps



Lets out a blood curdling roar



A close-up of the face to show that the left upper canine is chipped



Looks at me straight, snarls & growls I am not generally scared of Tigers, but suddenly felt very vulnerable & nowhere to go



Lets out another chilling roar



Gets up and comes on the trail and starts scent marking.

The spray with Flehman's response



Looks at the jeep in front of me and in anger growls



Something attracts his attention - stops & looks intently



Walks away towards Tambakhan roaring



I wanted to follow him but our time in the jungle was up and we had to return.

The video that I attempted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrpakGHtQcU

My guide Rajkumar (extreme right) and the driver (extreme left) for the safari.



Thus ended a very rewarding last safari in the main Park. The next day morning our final safari would be in Qualji to look for the biggest & the meanest male of Ranthambhore.

to be continued.../-

[gd1418]

29th May, 2013

The last day in Ranthambhore and as pre-planned a trip to Qualji or Zone 9. Still not notified as a regular area for tourism, hence it is not listed for on-line bookings. Only people who know about it visit.

A full jeep had to be booked and it was already done before-hand. We had to leave our resort by 3:45 am so as to reach Qualji by 5:30.

Why Qualji? Because it is home to the biggest & meanest male in the entire Ranthambhore reserve - Fateh or T 42. A highly temperamental & skittish fellow, is known to get provoked even at the slightest intrusion. Has been known to attack the jeeps and no, they are not mock charges.

One needs a heart of steel to withstand that. Some have done and quite a few have returned ducking under the seats all the way till their hotels and wetting their clothes..

The jeep that was to take me had suffered the ire of Fateh and his one strike of the paw ripped the metal of the bonnet. Reddy, the driver stood his ground and didn't panic.

I had specifically asked for him to take me there. My only instruction to him was - "under no circumstance you shall back-out and will hold the vehicle still even if an attack takes place". My wife had a look of horror on her face.

All along the way to Qualji, Reddy regaled my wife & I with tales of how a Minister's foul-mouthed son & his entourage wept all the way back after T 42 had made a charge and hugged Reddy several times for bringing them back alive and promised never to come back.

Qualji



Entered the forest and it was quite different than what I had seen elsewhere. Deep ruts and high mud walls on the side. The ground soil was clay like and dusty. I wondered loudly that I don't see any prey base, but was told that there were abundant deer & Neelgais.

Roamed the entire length & breadth, climbed the hill tops (in the jeep of course), looked for pug-marks but in vain. At one point we saw a small herd of Cheetals grazing and heard a faint alarm call from the Chakal River side. This alerted the herd and after some-time they ran away. We thought that they got alarmed because of us.

That was a our mistake. Fateh was coming up on the same trail that we had done a few minutes ago.

We moved further, went towards sookhi talai and came back and what we see? We see the fresh pug-marks of Fateh. If only we had waited at the place from where the deer ran.

While got bored waiting for T 42, clicked this.

Spotted Dove



It was exceptionally hot and by 8:45 we were exhausted. With no signs of Fateh in that huge jungle decided to return after a final check at the water-hole.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnsGl4EY0jQ

Came back to our room, had breakfast, took a cool bath, packed our stuff and by 1:30 were on our way back home after settling accounts with Guddu Bhai.

Thus ended a very fruitful trip. Hope you enjoyed this travelogue.

[aravind84]

Awesome pictures Sir jee. This is the reason i was holding back to comment. Always reading your travelouge in full go gets us the feeling of been there done that. Hope the next trip brings in the same luck if not more.

I will one day join you in the league too.

[joe1980]

Looks like this guy, the T42 likes attacking the visitors. I just bumped across this video in youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o26a1whIBYE

It looks quite dangerous to visit him with an open jeep.

[gd1418]

Before the National Parks close for the monsoons from 1st July to 30th September, the last of my trip before this season ends commences on 18th June.

We are six in total who will be doing six safaris. Of the other five, two are my school classmates, one a TBHPian and the other two are brothers and are from my wildlife group.

1. Harjeev Singh Chadha (TBHP handle - harjeev)



Harjeev's LC in which we all are going to travel



2. Sriskandh Subramanian - wildlife friend/photographer



3. Akshay Subramanian - wildlife friend/photographer

4. Amit Pandeya - school classmate



5. Sandip Dutta Gupta - school classmate



Sriskandh & Akshay shall join us in Ranthambhore, while we four will drive down.

Our itinerary:

18th June - departure around 4:30 am and arrival by 11 or 12 pm

18th June - afternoon safari - 6 persons - full gypsy (preferably Zone 2)

19th June - morning & noon safari - 6 persons - full gypsy (preferably morning Zone 3 & noon zone 4)

20th June - morning & noon safari - 6 persons - full gypsy (preferably morning Zone 5 & noon zone 3)

21st June - morning - 6 persons - full gypsy (preferably morning Zone 2)

Departure to Gurgaon/Delhi by 1 pm. Can't wait. As the date comes nearer, excitement levels going higher..!

[gd1418]

Yes this is Fateh (T 42) of Qualji. I wish I had met him..!

Originally Posted by joe1980

Looks like this guy, the T42 likes attacking the visitors.

It looks quite dangerous to visit him with an open jeep.