Second safari at noon, Somnath Gate. This part of the jungle is very beautiful. We were so very content with 5 tiger sightings in the morning that we didn’t really wish hard to see one here, I think. So the tigers sensed it and despite the commendable efforts from the guide and the driver, we couldn’t spot a tiger.
The dedication of the two was something to take note of. Our gypsy was low on fuel, they had a chance to conclude the safari but no, they topped it up and till the last minute they were looking for the signs.
Not a tiger, but we spotted a Dhaman (a type of snake), Nilgai (a rare and beautiful animal), Sambar (majestic and the largest Deer species found in India), many bison and lots of birds. Our other jeep had a close encounter with the bison herd, they came very happily to greet them and were not really ready to go apart. After promises of coming back next year, they went their own ways.
This was a safari special in its own way with just mum and her daughters.
Third safari, Alizanja gate, another beautiful part of the jungle with hundreds of butterflies. Long straight roads with tall green trees accompanying you till the end of the path. I think the heart was still very full with content that the tigers sensed it again! We saw the pugmarks but not the big cat. It was very close as the guides said, we even heard the monkey alarming each other, felt the tensed air but no, not an actual sighting. Never mind, there is always a tomorrow!
A Thrilling Chase
The last and the most memorable Palasgaon Safari. Reached there early in the morning with chaos on the mind. Someone decided not to switch on the water supply for the entire hotel, never mind!
The contentment was gone, instead the place was filled with annoyance. We started the safari. The guide told us that it’s their first safari in a month. As it is the rainy season, fewer people are coming to their gate. Okay, so less chances or more chances?! The animals must be used to roam around freely without any disturbance of the jeeps… don’t know.
A dullness was filling up the mind and BOOM! Our guide and driver very intelligently spotted fresh pugmarks, VERY fresh! It all started from there! While we were following the pug marks, we heard a roar, and it was a tiger! We were amazed to see the level of knowledge the guide and the driver had about the animal. We started following the sound. First it was a bit far, then a bit nearer and then we could hear roars from like 100 meters away. They both came to 2 possibilities, a tiger is hunting down an animal or there is a fight going on between 2 mighty tigers.
First option, seemed okay, acceptable, natural. Second, was terrifying, scary, jittery. I decided in my mind if the tiger is angry, I don’t want to see it, let it be. I don’t really like to see angry humans, leave aside tigers!
But the tiger guessed what was going on in my mind and decided to be kind. He was not involved in any fight but just a usual natural routine of hunting, in which sadly, he did not succeed. He was so heartbroken and hungry that he decided not to recognize any presence of humans waiting to see him for the last 1.5 hours and started crossing the road and disappeared in a water body on the other side of the road. The sighting was no more than a few minutes, and we were left with a feeling of longing to see more of this majestic animal.
There was more in store for us, not a tiger, but we saw pugmarks of a mum tiger and her tiny 1.5 month old cubs. We wished we could see the cute faces of those tiny tots but… there has to be something to come back next time!
Our trip ended with a very filmy chase, and we were overly thankful to the guide, the driver and the jungle for unfolding the story like this, it is going to be a very memorable piece of core memory. 6 tigers!!!!!! This was way more than we asked for and way more than people encouraged us for..
© Shilpa Kulkarny
