A Yen for Kabini
It’s been 2 months since we returned from an absolute smasher of a trip to the Kabini Forest Range in the Naharhole- Bandipur Belt, yet the memories of the trip linger on,
one we savor from time to time.
How can we forget the little tiger cub we spotted in the dead of the night, as we intrepidly decided to drive through the main road running through the jungle after dark. First we got to see two shining lil torch like eyes as is the case with any wild sighting in the dark. Pulling up slowly , we are amazed to see a cute lil tiger cub staring at us by the roadside, sizing us up.. Viji at the driver wheel, is confused. He resorts to switching the lights off, then turns them on, then turns the interior light of the car on and we argue in whispers if we should leave the windows on, less the mom decides to say hello out of nowhere. Patient is the lil cub, as if he is understanding this dichotomy of light display and decides he has learnt enough in his first few outings to distinguish a Ford Ikon from other cars and vanishes off into the dark, leaving us wanting for more. Oh Viji, you should have left the car as is when we we first spotted it.. Nevertheless, it’s a rare sighting, fleeting though, and people back at the resort tell us thus.
The next morning, we are out on a 4- wheel, open jeep drive in the thick of the jungle and the air is filled with an expectancy, as we strain our eyes and ears to catch sight of anything. Leopards, tigers, elephants, sloth bears, bison all abound, but are shy by nature.
Accompanying us on the trip is a guy frm IISC who's been studying the pachyderms
from 10 years. We promptly name him M.E. , Master of Elephants ! :)
Deep in the jungle, the driver signals us to keep quiet and tells us that the signs are very suggestive that we are about to watch a hunt in the wild! There is a lull that is almost ghostly and we know not what can materialize out of anywhere. We are in an open jeep !
A whole herd of deer graze nearby. Suddenly the air is filled with the wild, frantic calls of the langur in the trees, an even more impending sign of a warning to the antelopes that a predator is nearby and the whole of the jungle rings out with its shrill cries. What a piercing cry that ! We wait with bated birth, hardly taking our eyes of the prey. Everything is picture perfect. Alas, these humans ! Out of nowhere comes another jungle resort jeep full of people, chattering up a bit and even though hand signals are made to draw their attention to the situation, they are blind to it and ride through the path where the antelopes are grazing.. Startled, the whole herd take off and everything is ruined! So near, yet so far! No sightings in the morning, except for lots of deer and its related species.
Later in the evening, we are on the final trip in the same jeep. All of a sudden, the skies open up and it pours like crazy on us, the jeep has no soft top for protection. Here we are in the thick of the jungle, drenched to the core and shivering! We park near a sign post and clamber up to take refuge in the post. But what a sight! We can see the Kabini River nearby and grazing contently, unmindful of the downpour, on its grassy banks are a whole herd of wild bisons and a female elephant with its little one. Huge stretches of grassy knolls run along the river and this is as close to utopia I feel.
We decide to drive along the grassy bank inspite of the rain and are rewarded.
The bisons are hundreds in number, quite close by. What if one of them decide to charge us ? There are the only animals that the tigers fear to hunt, such is their stocky frame.
Far out on the river, through the pouring rain we spot an island and more.
There stands a couple of Tuskers and a few more elephants playing around in the rain.
Its ethereal and all we can do is take a mental snapshot and leave it at that.
These pachyderms actually swim across the river to get to those places !
We continue on the drive and to our joy , the animal sightings increase.
The denizens of the jungle are more out in the open, foraging for food.
A huge lone Tusker is dangerously close, but bounds off into the dense jungle
as more jeeps arrive to stare at him. Further down is a sloth bear, sitting on it
haunces and gazing at us. More elephant herds are round the corner,
this is amazing, this is manna from heaven, with the rain off course !!
The elusive barking deer is spotted, a whole herd of gazelle race in top flight
beside us, this is a voyage of self-discovery ! And it's all in our state.
We need to banish ourselves to the boondocks more and answer the call of the wild !
Dont miss Kabini folks !
one we savor from time to time.
How can we forget the little tiger cub we spotted in the dead of the night, as we intrepidly decided to drive through the main road running through the jungle after dark. First we got to see two shining lil torch like eyes as is the case with any wild sighting in the dark. Pulling up slowly , we are amazed to see a cute lil tiger cub staring at us by the roadside, sizing us up.. Viji at the driver wheel, is confused. He resorts to switching the lights off, then turns them on, then turns the interior light of the car on and we argue in whispers if we should leave the windows on, less the mom decides to say hello out of nowhere. Patient is the lil cub, as if he is understanding this dichotomy of light display and decides he has learnt enough in his first few outings to distinguish a Ford Ikon from other cars and vanishes off into the dark, leaving us wanting for more. Oh Viji, you should have left the car as is when we we first spotted it.. Nevertheless, it’s a rare sighting, fleeting though, and people back at the resort tell us thus.
The next morning, we are out on a 4- wheel, open jeep drive in the thick of the jungle and the air is filled with an expectancy, as we strain our eyes and ears to catch sight of anything. Leopards, tigers, elephants, sloth bears, bison all abound, but are shy by nature.
Accompanying us on the trip is a guy frm IISC who's been studying the pachyderms
from 10 years. We promptly name him M.E. , Master of Elephants ! :)
Deep in the jungle, the driver signals us to keep quiet and tells us that the signs are very suggestive that we are about to watch a hunt in the wild! There is a lull that is almost ghostly and we know not what can materialize out of anywhere. We are in an open jeep !
A whole herd of deer graze nearby. Suddenly the air is filled with the wild, frantic calls of the langur in the trees, an even more impending sign of a warning to the antelopes that a predator is nearby and the whole of the jungle rings out with its shrill cries. What a piercing cry that ! We wait with bated birth, hardly taking our eyes of the prey. Everything is picture perfect. Alas, these humans ! Out of nowhere comes another jungle resort jeep full of people, chattering up a bit and even though hand signals are made to draw their attention to the situation, they are blind to it and ride through the path where the antelopes are grazing.. Startled, the whole herd take off and everything is ruined! So near, yet so far! No sightings in the morning, except for lots of deer and its related species.
Later in the evening, we are on the final trip in the same jeep. All of a sudden, the skies open up and it pours like crazy on us, the jeep has no soft top for protection. Here we are in the thick of the jungle, drenched to the core and shivering! We park near a sign post and clamber up to take refuge in the post. But what a sight! We can see the Kabini River nearby and grazing contently, unmindful of the downpour, on its grassy banks are a whole herd of wild bisons and a female elephant with its little one. Huge stretches of grassy knolls run along the river and this is as close to utopia I feel.
We decide to drive along the grassy bank inspite of the rain and are rewarded.
The bisons are hundreds in number, quite close by. What if one of them decide to charge us ? There are the only animals that the tigers fear to hunt, such is their stocky frame.
Far out on the river, through the pouring rain we spot an island and more.
There stands a couple of Tuskers and a few more elephants playing around in the rain.
Its ethereal and all we can do is take a mental snapshot and leave it at that.
These pachyderms actually swim across the river to get to those places !
We continue on the drive and to our joy , the animal sightings increase.
The denizens of the jungle are more out in the open, foraging for food.
A huge lone Tusker is dangerously close, but bounds off into the dense jungle
as more jeeps arrive to stare at him. Further down is a sloth bear, sitting on it
haunces and gazing at us. More elephant herds are round the corner,
this is amazing, this is manna from heaven, with the rain off course !!
The elusive barking deer is spotted, a whole herd of gazelle race in top flight
beside us, this is a voyage of self-discovery ! And it's all in our state.
We need to banish ourselves to the boondocks more and answer the call of the wild !
Dont miss Kabini folks !
posted by MomentsOfTruth @ 3:49 AM
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