IN THE EDEN OF KANHA

IN THE EDEN OF KANHA

I reached Kanha on th 30th of May in the night.Checked into Kings Crown Resort.It was late,so after dinner,went to sleep.
Safari-1-Reached the Kisli gate at 5.30 for the morning Safari.My guide joined us there.As soon as we entered the park,I could make out it was going to be a different experience.

The lush Sal forest,and the rich wildlife was visible from the gate itself.This range has the greatest biodiversity in Kanha.The feeling one gets in such a jungle is divine.It is a truly wild experience.The first wild dwellers to make an appearence were the peacocks,and there are plenty of them.I could see the males dancing to woo their mates.Whoever said that peacock dance heralds rain can go for a toss.Here in Kanha,I could see them dancing everywhere in peak summer with no sign of rains.
As soon as we reached the Kanha road crossing,my driver showed me the tiger pugmarks.He said it was the Kisli male.We followed it for sometime and then parked the gypsy and started waiting.The wait was not at all boring,as I could see a number of birds going about their routine.There were Raquet Tailed Drongos,Rollers,Rufous Treepies.And the various rutting calls and alarm calls of Chitals,Sambhars and barking deer keeps one engrossed.Even after waiting for an hour,there was no sign of the king,so we moved on,and reached Nakti Ghati waterhole.This is a real happenning place.At all times we could see various animals and birds at this place.It was morning time,and a herd of Bisons were quenching their thirst,with a group of chitals waiting for their turn.Nearby on a tree,a CSE was perched intently looking for anything to pounce on.We spent an hour at the waterhole and then decided to get back to Kisli.
on the way back,stopped at the Banyan tree,which houses the famous Kanha owlets.There were five of them.Mom,dad and three kids,perched on various branches.I spent an hour photographing them.It was time for us to return.

Safari-2-We reached the gate at 3.30 for the evening safari.It was really hot,but as soon we entered the forest,the shade provided by the sal trees gave us some relief..First we decided to check the place we left in the morning.And what luck.The Kisli male,a handsome,young tiger,was sitting in a depression,under a tree.Only the front portion was visible.But since it was just next to the safari tract,it was a real thrilling experience.Soon a number of gypsies joined us.The king looked tired after a heavy meal,and the heat,and didnt move from the place for an hour,inspite of the ruckus created by the admiring tourists.The guide informed us,that this male is three and a half years old,and killed his illustrous father around eight months back.As the crowd became awfully loud,he got up,stretched,and vanished in the denser part of the forest.
I was really happy and content after an hour of tiger treat,and just roamed around Kisli range for some time.The sight of a tiger is an inebriating experience,and hardly anything matters after that.
Here I would like to mention,that the guides at Kanha are really passionate about their forest.I showed an image of a tiger from Bandhavgarh,and they seemed to be totally disinterested.After sometime the guide commented,Kya saab,humara tiger dekho,kitna bada he.Aur do saal me to double ho jayega,Bandhavgarh me to chote tiger hain.Point noted.
I never breached the subject of Bandhavgarh again.

Safari-3-This morning we decided to go to the Kanha meadows.The meadows are grasslands growing on relocated villages.There are numerous such meadows,and Kanha meadows is the largest.Its a huge tract of grassland,with clumps of Sal trees in between,appearing as islands.As part of the grassland management,no tree which can retard the growth of grass is allowed to grow.I saw a number of felled silk cotton trees.

There is a spot called Centre point,which houses a huge canteen and refreshment centre,near the meadows.Its a pretty huge complex,with very clean toilets,and tourists stop there for some time.Crows have a field day there on leftovers.
The meadow is a herbivorous paradise.Chitals,Sambhars,and Bisons are plentifull,grazing on the green grass.The birds like Peacocks,Red and Yellow Wattled Lapwings,Painted Francolin can also be seen there.There are numerous water bodies with eagrets,Ibises and pond herons around them.Medha Nala waterhole is one of the bigger one,with source of water to the animals of the meadows.These waterbodies are replenished daily by tankers in summer.In Kanha the habitat management is superb.
I asked the guide about the Barahsinga.He said they are not seen in theKanha meadows recently.Still we drove around looking for them,and saw two females grazing very far from the tract.
While returning,the guide showed us the enclosure,where around fifty Barahsingas are kept for breeding,with a few released every year.The fence is really high,so its not possible to see inside,and tourists are not allowed inside.

Safari-4-That evening we decided to look for the Kisli male again.We went to an area called Sanduk Khol,but it was not there.After an hour of roaming around,there was no sign of it.
There is a safari tract called Kanha Main road,which has an artificial pool,where tigers generally spend their day.
This road had been closed for tourists a fortnight back as the tourists were causing a lot of disturbance to the tigers.We saw two guys coming on a bike from that road.They were canteen workers.They told us that a tiger was lying in the pool.
Now that left us in a great dilemma.The driver was reluctant to enter the road as if found out,it entailed a huge fine,and two weeks ban for the gypsy.I somehow convinced him that I would pay the fine if caught,and after making sure there were no other gypsies around,we entered the road.As soon as we reached the pool,and the king was lying in it,lazily watching the surroundings.We spent around ten minutes there watching him at close quarters,with the fear of being caught in this illegal endeavour.
Then as soon the driver started the gypsy to leave,we saw two guys coming on a patrol vehicle in Khaki,forest guards who had seen us.But our driver was smart,he took them aside,and after a few minutes of arguements,they came back smiling.I wound not like to go into the details of the matter,but it was settled with a promise of hefty Chai Nashtsa.
Came back happy at the superb sighting,and also guilty of breaking the rule.

Safari-5-We decided to go to Mukki range to try and see the Barahsinga.We had started early.As we were nearing Mukki,the driver located the pugmarks of the Tiger,and it was fresh.We started following the lead.Suddenly we came across a huge herd ob bisons.I told the driver to stop,and started photographing.My guide was was coaxing me not to stop as he was sure of finding the tiger.But since the herd was close to the road,I did not want to miss the oppurtunity to photograph these gentle giants.
Gaurs have really thrived in Kanha.According to the last census,their number was around two thousand.I could see them in herds in every range.
As we moved on following the pugmarks we reached a place where a gypsy was parked,and on seeing us the guide of that vehicle gesticulated at us to come fast.We rushed towards it.With a big smile the guide informed us that they had seen a huge male sitting on the rock next to the road for full twenty minutes.In his words-Sir,bees minute idhar hi baitha tha.Muh khola,dant saaf kiya,utha fir baitha,per uthaya,maaza a gaya.Aplog kuch minute se miss kar gaye.We nodded in agreement with grim faces.My guide was really upsethe told me-sahab ap to bison par latak gaye,nahi to hum bhi dekhte the.Pura mehnat bekar ho gaya,and stood on one side.I had nothing to say,as I too was regretting stopping for the bisons for so long.
To add salt to the wound,the guys offered us the vidio they had shot in their camcorders.Saw it with a heavy heart,and what the other guide had told us seemed to be entirely true.They really had a super view as we could see in the footage.After some more depressing thinking,gathered our wits and moved on.My guide as if to assuge my feelings said,sir ye to Radiocollar wala tha,photo me kuch khas maaza nahi hota.Even I tried to think so.
As we were crossing the fireline into Mukki,I saw a Muntjac standing on the fireline.I had seen these deers in all my safaris,but could not get any photograph,as they vanish real fast.But this one stopped there,maybe waiting for its mate,and so we got to see it for around ten minutes,a long time by Muntjac standards.
Mukki range is a bit different.There was a huge fire last year,and the effect was visible.But since the Sal tree ar not destroyed and get back the leaves fast,the damage was not huge.The animals are seen less frequently in this range.

After some roaming around,got to see a huge herd of Barahsingas,with a big male,going for the drink.Observed the for around half an hour.They look real magestic,with dark orange coats,and very dignified way of carrying themselves.They must be the king among deers.

On the way back,its around thirty five kms from the Kisli gate,got to see a CHE,a pack of wild dogs from very far,and a few Grey Hornbills.

Safari-6-Spent ths safari in the Shravan Talab area.There was a herd of female Barahsinga near the talab,and also a huge herd of chital,the chitals were mock fighting,and the barahsinga grazing.

On the way back saw a pair of Jackals,feeding on lizards.Tried very hard to get some images of RaquetTailed drongos and Treepies,but could not.

Safari-7-Went to the Kanha meadows.There is a particular area in the meadows where a few Yellow Wattled Lapwings are seen.After photographing them,was roaming in the meadows when we saw a couple of gypsies rushing towards a nullah.We joined them.We saw a female tigress who was stalking a herd of chital,who were standing on higher ground.But in a few minutes the chitals saw her,and started their alarm calls.She just vanished in the grass.The guide told me that this was the same female who had killed a mahout a few months back.Thereafter we roamed the meadows,and saw many herds of Bisons,Chitals and Sambhars.Sambhars are also plentiful,and I could see herds of Sambhars in Kanha.Previously in other parks I had seen Sambhars,but not in such large numbers.

Safari-8-This was my last safari,so after roaming for an hour in the Kisli range,went back to Kanha meadows.After roaming for sometime,went near the Medha nala waterhole.A herd of female barahsingha and a few chital were having a drink.After sometimes the chitals left.A fawn of chital was left behind.He looked bewildered and lost,and not finding his brood,went and stood besides a female Barahsingha.Till the time we left,both were standing there,and god knows what happenned later on.The next day,I left for Nagpur on my way back.

Kanha is a beautiful and vibrant wilderness,nothing like I had seen before.This Eden is the one of the last bastion of the Tiger,Hardground Barahsingha in central India,and with the superb management there,I hope and wish ,it remains that way.