These field notes come to me Daleep Akoi, owner of a unique jungle lodge at the edge of Corbett Tiger Reserve, India's oldest and most spectacular of wild life preserves. Our naturalists at Jim's Jungle Retreat send me regular bits about the forest and its residents; I write or edit them and upload it here for you.
The monsoon brings rains nearly everyday in and around the forest reserve, so most of the resorts are functioning at lower capacities at this time. Amid intermittent drizzles, Jim’s Jungle Retreat hosted members of the community – young and old – to a ‘day-spend’ at the retreat.
Members of our senior naturalist-led The Rainbow Group were invited as were forest officials and students. Between the ages of eight to 75, participants were seen sipping cups of juice and tea as they introduced themselves during the orientation. After short and informative speeches on the subjects of tiger conservation and Jim Corbett’s role by senior naturalist Rajesh Bhatt and Dr. SM Tandon, the day was starting to look bright.
Walkabout talk, photo credit: Eshaan Trivedi
A walk-around the premises of JJR was conducted by Rajesh Bhatt, who pointed out to the young naturalists, how in small, everyday steps one can take forward the great efforts of Jim Corbett and other stalwarts about conservation in this region.
The walk was followed by presentations about the life of Jim Corbett, briefing us about his accomplishments not just as a hunter, but as a conservationist and champion of the Kumaon area!
Presentation at the lounge, photo credit: Eshaan Trivedi
Over lunch, the chatter made the cafeteria at JJR come to life. People from the city were getting to know naturalists from the forest. Children were in undisturbed conversations with professors, writers and forest officials from the forest department.
Overall, it was a great day celebrated in the spirit of Jim Corbett’s tireless activities in his beloved home.
I
was here last during the scorching dry heat of the plains. Coming from a heat
wave in New Delhi, I was not surprised to see that the impartiality of the sun
had left the grassland-jungle dehydrated as well. Water holes in the area were
drying up, trees were looking tired, and a compulsory siesta was the only way
to make it through to the evenings. In fact, the only place fauna was active
was at the watering hole created at JJR, where one could see the parched birds,
deer and even the roaring of the tiger was heard!
The water hole at Jim's Jungle Retreat. Photo credit: Daleep Akoi
Seasons
change, and here I am again. This time, against the backdrop of famed Bollywood
actor Amitabh Bacchan talking about tiger conservation on NDTV’s “Tigerthon”.
Gentle
morning showers keep the temperature cool until the next rainfall (which is
usually a drizzle in the evening). The sun shines brightly during the
afternoon, making it a bit humid and muggy. Cloud formations are beautiful, and
using one’s imagination, you can see your visions actualize in the sky.
Uncountable
shades of green fill my eyes with the upper and lower canopies exhibiting
layers of green, ranging from the dull to the exuberant. Truly seated in the
lap of greenery! The character of the sky is changing every hour. The clouds
and the sun play hide and seek, varying the temperature from cool and windy to
sweaty and blazing. A jubilant orchestra of frogs sets the ambience for the
evening, and continues into the night.
Monsoon canopy, photo credit: Daleep Akoi
Tiger
sightings are low because less people are going for safaris.
Also,
the overgrowth of vegetation suits the tigers well as they stay beneath it,
making it difficult to get a glimpse of the majestic animal.
As
the butterflies are dancing, the intoxication of the monsoon is evident in the
animals. Breeding seems to be the order of the day, with frogs, centipedes and
an array of insects and beetles becoming part of the action. Mating calls can
be heard near and far from all kinds of mammals. It’s a new world for the baby
insects as they are born! Beetles, scorpions, moths, caterpillars, centipedes,
millipedes and dragonflies are abundant, and everywhere. In fact, in some
areas, it’s difficult to walk without hearing the crunchy sound of centipedes
under one’s feet!
The
trees seem youthful and playful. Playing good hosts, the trees hold nests,
caterpillars, fungus, butterflies and variety of insects, hereby giving rise to
a new generation of flora and fauna.
Village
life is blooming; tiny outputs of freshly sowed grains are revealing
themselves. The cows look happy with plenty of grass, and water is plenty. It’s
time to socialize as groups of men and women gather in small groups to tend to
their freshly planted fields.
Riverbeds
are lush! A strong presence of overpowering nature is felt as vehicles cross
the joints of road where the river has reached. An expensive luxury SUV faces
the same conundrum as a bullock cart as they both stand perplexed in front of
the fast flowing water on the road, unable to cross! Maybe this is why I find
myself here, overwhelmed by the flow of nature, where a caterpillar has an
equal right to life as an elephant or a human being.
Wanting
to spot a tiger in the open jungle is like wanting to pick up a chick in a
nightclub: The more desperate you seem, the lesser are your chances.
Well,
I got lucky today (May 11, 2012), spotting a huge tigress and her (rather large)
cub as they strolled by me, ten meters away from my open jeep. Having read the
horror man-eater stories in The Jim Corbett Omnibus, I must say I was
terrified. Instead of reaching for my camera, my first instinct was to reach
for my swiss knife as I swiftly ducked under the seat. The family sitting at
the back was braver though, they lunged forward with their cameras almost
falling right out of the jeep.
As
many of you know, I have a problem with following the mainstream, ie.
doing what everyone else does. In Paris, I did not take a picture of the Eiffel
Tower and in Corbett, I will not take a picture of the tiger. Unless, of course,
I have an opportunity to take one of those pictures that will be framed and put
up in a library. I have however taken pictures of various monkeys, deer and
even dove footprints.
The
interesting thing about dove footprints is that when you spot the male and
female footprints together, they go left and right, up and down, following
arbitrary patterns. What I have been explained is that the female leads the
male into a dance, and makes him follow her all over the place! She goes left
and right and up and down, and the poor male has no choice but to follow.
There
is so much to learn from all the animals here, even the insects. The
animals blend into their environment so beautifully. It reminds me of something
Agent Smith (the machine from The Matrix) said: "I'd like to share a
revelation that I’ve had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to
classify your species, and I realised that humans are not actually mammals.
Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with
the surrounding environment; but you humans do not. Instead you multiply, and
multiply, until every resource is consumed. The only way for you to survive is
to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that
follows the same pattern... a virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer on this
planet, you are a plague."
His
views may have been a bit excessive in his condemnation, but we must think
about this.
At
least I am today, living within this natural equilibrium.
On Monday, Jim’s Jungle Retreat was humbled, honored and extremely excited to host a discovery excursion for international donors looking to aid tiger conservation at Corbett Tiger Reserve under the guidance of WildAid, an international wildlife conservation organization, and the Virgin Group’s non-profit foundation Virgin Unite.
Sir Richard Branson and his son Sam Branson were here to encourage donors to give to this urgent and important cause, to appreciate the area’s stunning diversity of plant and animal life and the various issues facing the Corbett landscape.
The two-day program began with a visit to Choti Haldwani, Jim Corbett’s adopted village, where the group interacted with members from the Corbett Gram Vikas Samiti, a community-based tourism project.
This was followed by a jungle walk in the forest by the retreat. Groups of five and six set out along the riverbed and were intrigued to see first-hand the ample signs of wildlife in this forest buffer. A key take away for them was the importance of patrolling these areas as well. A well-protected forest that provides buffer to a larger protected jungle gives tremendous advantage to the wildlife within the main reserve. Animals don’t recognize borders, we do.
The next day began with an early morning start. The safari vehicles were out before sunrise and headed to Bijrani for a full day, stopping for lunch at Malani’s beautiful forest rest house, a 1900s vintage bungalow. And while a tiger sighting was not to be, Sir Richard and Sam enjoyed a quiet hour on elephant back in the spectacular grasslands in Bijrani.
What was extremely positive about the Bijrani experience was the group members’ appreciation of the forest and what it offered: quiet and solitude, its nurturing energy, a magnificent terrain, and animals roaming in the wild as was their true destiny.
Later, in the evening, Sir Richard presented the Deputy Field Director and Corbett’s forest department with a rapid response vehicle that is hoped will be used for anti-poaching efforts and to resolve man-animal conflict. At dinner, the donors interacted with the Deputy Field Director and learned about tiger conservation and Corbett management’s plans for safeguarding its precious heritage.
We hope that the destination and event served the foundation’s goals well and that their donors too are mightily convinced of this worthy venture for tiger and Corbett conservation. Among WildAid and Virgin Unites’ goals is the protection and restoration of wildlife corridors - essential migration corridors that help in maintaining a healthy gene pool. Along with proper protection of buffer forests, this corridor protection is vital for the tiger, threatened as he is by large-scale loss of habitat and degraded forest. Community outreach is another area that is part of the funds focus. We would be happy to help in all of their efforts, starting out with the expansion of our own community outreach programs.
We wish Sir Richard and Sam, and the entire team at WildAid and Virgin Unite great success in this important program they’ve set out to accomplish. Thank you for coming to this part of the world to learn about our issues and to offer much-needed action-based support.
I am very pleased to reveal our new logo, which we hope will inspire conversation, provoke conservation-related discussion and provide new energy to our philosophy of “Seek the tiger, find the jungle.”
The tiger pugmark logo offers an entire jungle to the onlooker – the pad reveals leaves and a tree, its toes are shaped to represent four additional elements found in a forest: amphibian and aquatic life, reptilian species, insects and avian varieties, while the pugmark itself represents the over 50 mammalian species found in Corbett, including the tiger.
Do let us know what you think of our new mark. We at Jim's Jungle Retreat, Corbett Tiger Reserve, look forward to your reactions.
Place: Jim's Jungle Retreat Quarterly Update: by Imran Khan
As the mercury rises, Corbett’s safari timings have also changed accordingly. Early mornings and late evenings are pleasant and one can stay in the park for a longer time during the peak hours of activity of the forest’s denizens. Even as the wheat crop gets harvested from the farmlands surrounding Corbett, various fruiting trees like mango, litchi and Phyllanthus emblica (amla, or the Indian gooseberry), have started flowering, providing additional food sources to both insectivores and frugivores.
Meantime, many of the man-made water holes have been refilled, while several more are being created for habitat management. The scarcity of water has been felt all over the Bijrani and Jhirna tourism zones as a number of waterholes have dried up and animals living on the peripheral range of CTR tend to move closer to human habitation. Infact, tiger sightings have been regular as most of them have chosen to remain in the vicinity of waterholes.
There are several noticeable changes to the forest cover as well, with the topography changing colour from green and brown to light green, indicating leaf fall in many species of tropical trees and the associates of Sal. Some of the species such as Indian Laburnum, Ebony trees and a large variety of ficus have started growing new leaves, providing fodder to wild elephants, primates and other herbivores. Much of the ground vegetation, comprising the Indian Curry leaf, Clerodendron and Ageratum, among others, have started flowering and now sport a new coat of tender leaves, instigating butterflies to start looking for the nectar. One can see several butterfly species, including the Common Tiger, Common Grass Yellow, Blue Pancy and the Evening Browns fluttering on the lower strata of the forests.
This also is an important time for birders, as several species descend on the Corbett landscape from peninsular India and the Himalayas for breeding and feeding purposes. Peninsular arrivals include the Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Blue-tailed and Chestnut headed Bee-eaters and the Indian Pitta, while various cuckoo species fly in from their Himalayan perches into Corbett to breed. The beautiful long-tailed Paradise Flycatcher, ready to breed, and the rufous males with shorter tails, learning to breed, offer excellent photography opportunities. Nightjars too have come out of their hibernation and one can hear them often, its call similar to the sounds of a wind mill in flow. Most species of Raptors, or birds of prey, begin to establish their territories with loud calling sounds. Even as the males establish territory, the females are courted for the breeding season that begins with the onset of the monsoon in July. Various other bird species, including the Spangled drongo, Golden oriole, Indian roller and Leaf bird, have started pairing up and will begin to breed over the coming weeks.
2011 marks Corbett Tiger Reserve’s Platinum Jubilee year that commemorates India’s pioneering wildlife conservation effort of establishing Asia’s first protected forest in 1936.
For the first time since Project Tiger’s inception in 1973 an India-wide survey reveals a marked increase in tiger numbers. A 12% rise to around 1800 tigers from 1411 in 2008, despite an overall shrinkage of habitat by 6%, is good news. However, this demands a greater push toward scientific management of the reserves as well as better relations with peripheral human settlements. This may only be possible with the intervention of chief ministers of the 17 tiger states in the country.
The Corbett landscape has been in the limelight recently, especially because of increasing tiger numbers, rising levels of man-animal conflict and a sizeable increase in the number of tourists and tourist facilities operating without a wildlife tourism policy. Positive and wider awareness about conservation at the grass root level, while building up of a strong political will for the tigers may be the main ingredients toward a successful celebration of Corbett’s 75 years of existence. The greatest inspiration comes from the sightings of around 25 - 35 cubs, caught on camera via camera traps laid across the sanctuary.
With the launch of Corbett’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, a number of events have already taken place:
* A tiger monitoring and conservation workshop, held in New Delhi and Dhikala, was attended by some of the greatest field workers, including Dr George Schaller, an authority on big cats and their habitat management; Dr Siedenstiecker, a leading gene biologist on big cat inbreeding and possible repercussions, and a plethora of government and non-government representatives. The outcome of the workshop was to refocus emphasis on foot patrolling, beat management, wide use of camera traps and monitoring of the pugmarks.
* A workshop titled “Tourism & Tiger” with active participation from local politicians, villagers, print media and forest personnel, which resulted in positive and constructive discussions on responsible and irresponsible tourism. The end result of the daylong discussions suggested that responsible tourism is the best tool for conservation.
* A World Bank team of tiger conservation experts from U.S.A., Australia, England and Italy visited Corbett and discussed funding opportunities for better conservation techniques. During their discussions at Jim’s Jungle Retreat, we presented ideas on promoting ecosystem farming to give land back to the tiger for its forest corridors.
Other events will occur through the year in Dehradun and Corbett. By November 15 the Prime Minister is expected to close the year-long celebrations with the launch of a coffee table book on Corbett.
One of the heaviest monsoons in recent memory set us up for a severe winter. While it can be very cold during safaris, winter probably is the best time to view Corbett Tiger Reserve: its multitudinous landscape of varying habitats, floral and faunal features, offers itself in a spectacular way, with incredible wildlife sightings of the tiger, leopard, elephants and hundreds of birds and butterflies. The late September monsoon showers were excessive this year, unfortunately, and caused severe damage to the road networks inside the park.
Several roads in Bijrani and Dhikala tourism zones which had washed away are now being repaired, slowly returning the entire tourism zone to its pre-monsoon status. The water level of Ramganga reservoir in Dhikala tourism zone also is receding now, while the devastated Sambhar Road is finally returning to its preeminent status as a prime ecotone area between river and forest for large mammal and raptor (birds of prey) sighting.
There has been a salubrious effect of the late monsoons however. In the drier regions of the park, several of the water holes continue to retain water, thereby playing a vital role in the early pairing of tigers in Bijrani as well as Jhirna. This pairing movement of the male and female has led to an increase in tiger sightings, as a pair of animals is more easily exposed by the ever-vigilant prey that give alarm calls to warn others.
TIGERS ABOUND, BEARS SHOW UP
In Jhirna, a female with three growing cubs has been active and regularly sighted. In fact, we have had incredible tiger sightings at either the Bijrani or Jhirna zone over the last two months, with nearly 85% of the retreat's visitors having seen a tiger or two!
During interactions with the Corbett research team responsible for laying camera traps to establish the tiger count here, I was informed there are around 20-25 cubs with their mothers in Corbett today, which is an incredible adult-to-cub sex ratio for any single reserve in the entire distribution range of the tigers!
Tiger, Bijrani Photo: Majid Hussain
Meantime, the Tendu, Ebony or Beedi leaf tree and Jungle berries (ber) have started fruiting and there have been regular sloth bear pug mark and droppings seen at to these groves. Most deer, especially the spotted deer variety are in their prime velvet stage of their antler growth and the rubbing off their antlers against the trunk of the trees and bushes has started. You will notice a distinct redness to tree trunks at a height of about three to four feet where the antlers have been.
Jhirna over the years has attained the distinction of harboring a resident elephant population and nearly every safari has sighted these gentle giants, with many baby elephants now part of the larger matriarch-led group.
Tusker at Jhirna Photo: Daleep Akoi
BIRDING TIME!
Corbett's bird life is especially worthy of spending time here now. The park is a cacophony of birdsong. Thanks to the fruiting of various ficus species such as Ficus glomerata, Ficus elastica and Schleichera Oleosa or Kusum one can see several mixed flocks of Minivets, Grey-headed canary flycatchers, Bronzed-winged drongos, Verditer flycatchers, Grey-capped pygmy woodpecker, Common woodshrike, both species of Nuthatches and the Grey-hooded warblers.
Chestnut-headed bee-eaters and Blue-tailed bee-eaters have gone back to their parent habitats while the Blue-bearded bee-eaters have arrived for breeding. The blue-bearded bee-eater is one of several top forest canopy species, along with two species of leafbirds, while the Oriental pied hornbill and Great hornbill have started “gackling” their casks, indicating the onset of breeding. One can see flocks of them on safaris in Jhirna.
Mid-canopied birds such as orioles and woodpeckers have also started breeding. All three species of orioles including the Corbett-specific Maroon oriole are heard on the jeep as well as on walking safaris. The three species of the flameback woodpecker and other mid-sized woodpeckers have paired for breeding too. Constant vocalisation and fluttering in the trees will point their presence to you.
One of our guests has captured a picture of a Black stork perching on a tree, unique, as they are usually seen on riverbeds. The Ibisbill has been sighted regularly along the Kosi river on the eastern periphery and this season there have been two individuals roaming the river bed, unlike the past where only a solitary bird was sighted. Among the raptors, the Pallas’s Fishing eagle and the Changeable hawk eagles have been seen with chicks.
Meantime, I was made privy to an interesting sighting by a regular visitor to Corbett: It is very unusual for a Pied kingfisher to make its nest at this time of the year, but surprisingly there was not one but two adults sighted, fluttering about building a nest close to Dhangarhi Sot around 10 days ago. To our greater surprise, these nests weren't being built to rear more young, but to teach existing youngsters the art of building a perfect nest!
“I was walking on the path connecting cottages 1 and 12 that stand opposite each other. I noticed a Purple Sunbird sitting on one of the trees in the wooded area there.
A Purple Sunbird in eclipse, Majid Hussain
A Purple Sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) isn’t a rare sight at the retreat. They’re very active in the morning atop the powder puff bushes and elsewhere on the property. This bird’s colors however seemed rather unusual. The yellow on it was striking! I thought it could be a new visitor!
I took a picture with my camera to record what I though might turn out to be a new species at the retreat. On referring my bird book later that day it became clear that the bird was indeed a Purple Sunbird, but in a very rare eclipse stage. (The eclipse is a brief post-breeding plumage adopted by males.) There were at least five different colors on this beautiful bird.”
We received some exciting news from Corbett Tiger Reserve’s Bijrani zone earlier in the month and a fantastic photograph to accompany it! Majid Hussain, our naturalist and assistant manager, hosted the retreat’s guests at an overnight stay in Bijrani’s forest bungalow. Unique to Corbett, forest lodges for tourist stays are available across the park’s tourism zones. These however need advance booking and organization, which Jim’s Jungle Retreat arranges for its guests for a thorough forest-entrenched jungle experience.
Day ONE of their stay, at around 6:30 AM on a late November morning, the guests and Majid set out on the road to Malani for their morning safari. Roughly 2kms from the bungalow they had spent the night in, the naturalist accompanying them, Basant, noticed fresh pugmarks of a “smallish male tiger” traversing the forest road for a good 100 meters before suddenly disappearing into the bush.
I reprise here what Majid tells me: “Basant was of the opinion that the tiger had only recently moved into the bush and was sitting somewhere in the grassland close to the track. We waited for at least an hour for any movement within the bush. The jungle seemed silent for a while as we waited.
Grace on the Malani Road, by Majid Hussain
Our patience was immense since our knowledge of the tiger’s whereabouts contained fresh inputs from the forest rangers and guards, who had informed us the night before of two in-oestrus females in the area – meaning they were ready to mate, and were heard these last few days calling out to other tigers. We were very certain that the grassland to our left contained at least one of the females as the mating calls the night before had been loud and continuous!”
All the more reason to wait where we were. Suddenly a sambar stag set off a loud alarm call on the Jar Pahar road, further up from us, near waterhole number 4. We stealthily crept up in our jeep to see what the sambar was alerted by. We got there just in time to see a beautiful female cross the road, and into the bush. We waited there, hoping she might step out on the road again, when another alarm call sent us reeling back toward the destination we had just come from, certain that the male we had been tracking was also on the move.
As we pushed back towards our original point, the moment was rewarded with a large male tiger moving out of the bush to occupy the track in front of us. Majestic, this tiger was not shy as he walked the length of the road, comfortable with the fact that we were following in our jeep.
He walked for a good 300 meters on the dirt track. We were blessed for this solitary moment with the tiger. The continuous alarm calls by cheetal and sambar unfortunately also directed other safari vehicles towards the tiger and us. For as soon as they arrived, the tiger chose to cross into the jungle, not to be seen again that day.”
We had reported earlier in the summer the curious incident of two reptiles entwined in a death match: that of a Monitor Lizard of about 3 feet in length and a King Cobra, possibly one of the largest specimens recorded in Corbett Tiger Reserve, at around 20 feet if not more.
A monitor lizard, roughly the same size as the one preyed on by the cobra
The story comes to us from Ms Manik K Harika who was staying at the retreat June 12-15 earlier in the year. It was the afternoon session on June 14 – a safari to the Bijrani zone that fetched these amazing moments, captured on camera and reproduced here.
June 12 was a hot day, though the forest road was well shaded by the overhanging branches of Jamun and Haldu, offering some respite from a heat that had been threatening to turn the day into a scorcher. The jeep contained four passengers: the driver, a naturalist and the two camera-laden visitors from Delhi, zoom lenses open, their fingers ready on the clicker.
The lizard went down quickly!
A right turn from the Bijrani Forest Rest House crossing and soon they were upon a road veering into a jungle thicket. They had traveled about ten minutes when the party found itself upon a sight so strange that none could form words nor express their horror at what was unfolding before them.
A close up reveals the different scale patterns on the two reptilian species
On the side of the road, by the exposed roots of a tree, lay a giant cobra convulsing, its scales moving to expand around the body of a prey now unable to offer any resistance. The troupe of four looked on as though in a trance, unable to peel away from this exhibition of incredible motion: the body of the snake in a vice-like grip, swirling about a reptile now limp, its oxygen depleted, its body emasculated.
The photo series reveal how the cobra swallowed an entire monitor lizard, nose to tail, in not more than 15 minutes!
The lizard-snake encounter was not the only excitement their adventure was to offer. Manik and her friends also witnessed an incident just as unusual and strange on a different day and in a different part of the forest. Another unusual display of jungle behavior was evident when they found themselves upon a cobra successfully trapping its predator, a serpent eagle, which had just dropped from the sky to airlift it for a treetop meal.
In possibly the biggest shock the eagle would receive – its character so used to piercing a writhing serpent with its talons - that the tables would turn so suddenly and decisively was indeed an important lesson for the bird, even if it was its last. With one delayed thrust from the eagle’s claws, the cobra pressed an advantage it didn’t have over the bird earlier. And with the eagle’s momentary lapse in judgment, the snake, which a few minutes ago was to be its meal, found itself a bird for dinner instead. (No cameras were taken on the safari unfortunately; photographic evidence is therefore unavailable.)
The entire length of the cobra is in evidence here
In this jungle, with over 50 mammals, 33 reptiles and over 550 birds, there’s always some twist in the tale.
Place: Jim's Jungle Retreat
Time: May 2010
Story & Photos: Jaspreet Singh
It was deathly silent that evening, the first week of May. I was sitting next to the swimming pool at Jim’s Jungle Retreat, enjoying the slight nip in the air when around 9:30 pm the silence was broken by the piercing alarm calls of a cheetal, in feverish staccato.
Alarm calls - when an animal senses danger or is in distress - don’t surprise us very much; they’re a common, often nightly occurrence. But this call seemed special – the animal seemed particularly distressed and the calling came from that part of the forest that touches the retreat’s eastern solar-electric fence.
Solar Electric Fencing around the property
The calls went on for a while and then ceased, returning the night to the sounds of a nightjar and insects. I felt certain a predator had succeeded in making its kill.
The southern peripheral area of Corbett Tiger Reserve where we’re located gets very dry after March-April and I remembered a story from a staff member who was employed when the retreat was under construction that a leopard had visited a small water hole beside the property on a nightly basis some two years ago.
Could this alarm call be the result of that leopard on a hunt?
I couldn’t sleep very well that night, eager for the morning to come and make my own discovery. I was happy to see fresh pugmarks the following morning, a trail extending 100 meters along the solar fence. The pugmarks’ size indicated a large predator all right, but which one? They were neither too small for a tiger nor too big for a leopard. It could be either!
How was I going to correctly establish this predator’s species? There weren’t many clues for me to make a solid ID that day. But it became a regular habit of mine thereafter, to follow the pugmarks whenever they appeared again, which they did several times. I began keeping a record of the movement of this elusive predator – tracking the time and route the animal took. Being able to see it, however, seemed increasingly to me a game of chance.
Finally, two weeks later news came from one of our drivers that a tiger cub was sighted crossing the main road barely 600 meters from our retreat! This was it! The clincher. A sighting had been confirmed in the very area that I had seen the pugmarks. But something worried me still. Why was this youngster patrolling the area alone? A young adult is still considered a maturing cub, and is in training for up to 2-2.5 years of its life.
One mystery had been solved: The pugmark’s size finally made sense to me. They were of a tiger cub no more than two years! But another equally curious mystery now arose: why was the cub alone at this crucial time of its upbringing?
It didn’t take too long to finally understand why this may have occurred. The clues presented themselves one evening. On a walk through the forest I saw two sets of pugmarks side-by-side, positively that of a male and a female. Could this female be the mother of the abandoned cub? The two were patrolling the same area the young cub was in.
It seemed plausible that because of the emergence of a dominant male tiger in the vicinity the female had abandoned the cub to save it from certain death. (Unless the male is the father, a cub’s life is threatened by the presence of a rival male.)
I felt sorry for the cub now and pulled nearly every trick from my training manual to fetch a sighting. I waited for hours one night on the track he normally followed, sat patiently by the waterhole another night, and up a tree some other nights.
This cub was entirely unpredictable! I guess having to fend for itself at such a young age, it needed to be a master of illusion!
On June 28 the body of a quarter-eaten blue bull calf was found 20 meters from the solar electric fence running along us! I was excited. For this was finally an excellent opportunity at a possible sighting. A yet-to-be-eaten kill meant the predator would return soon.
Cub kill: young Nilgai (blue bull) calf
It would have to be another vigil by the kill that night. A guest staying with us enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity and soon we were parked next to the fence just as it was getting dark, at a bend on the road that kept us well hidden.
After waiting for nearly 3 hours, and with no exciting alarm calls to break the silence, just rumbling tummies aching for dinner, we decided to return for a quick bite. Within a few minutes of us sitting down to eat, a loud and prominent alarm echoed from the forest where we were just minutes ago.
We ran back to the jeep, jostling for seats until they were all taken. The calls were now regular and furious. As we approached the area where we had parked earlier one could feel the presence of a predator. And it was not long after that the cub appeared through a lantana bush, gingerly at first and then taking purposeful strides towards us!
This was thrilling! The young male could be seen clearly in the half moon light and here he was walking just 8 meters from the jeep. The sighting lasted a few seconds before he vanished into the darkness again.
I felt euphoric on having seen him after weeks of searching, and also tremendous relief. Having had a good sighting finally, it appears that this young cub has learned his lessons well to survive in the wild without the protection of its mother.
If he had survived these past three months, he would surely be a strong survival contender, given the harsh realities of forest living. Now when we hear the calls, we’re pretty sure it’s the cub on his patrol again!
It was a warm evening on 26th June 2010. We had driven into the Bijrani zone of Corbett Tiger Reserve along with guests Pankaj Dixit and his family. I accompanied them as this was their first visit to Jim’s Jungle Retreat and Corbett Park.
Passing through waterholes number 2 and 3, heading toward the ‘Ratapani’ track, we were suddenly aware of a furiously sharp alarm call of a cheetal deer. We stopped the jeep immediately, searching the grasslands and undergrowth for the apparent cause of alarm.
Suddenly, from out the bushes came a cheetal, running frantically and chased closely by two jackals! The deer had barely reached a clearing in the grass when the two jackals fell upon it and proceeded to tear it apart.
We were all shocked: for within the next ten minutes there wasn’t much to recognize what was left of the deer!
A sighting such as this one is rare, made all the more curious as there was no sign of additional jackals – they usually are found in packs – in a territory marked and owned by a very large male tiger.
Additionally, jackals are generally opportunistic scavengers and often take on prey that is still immature or of small size. In this highly unusual sighting, we were watching a couple of jackals, possibly a mating pair, ambushing a fairly large and full-grown deer.
The entire episode lasted until we forced ourselves to drive away, the sunlight fading to a cool summer evening.
The sweltering summer months of May & June will soon give way to dramatically different weather. The rains, when they arrive with torrential force in the hilly terrain of Corbett, will play havoc with the road networks within the park, providing much-needed respite from human intrusion.
The first few showers also trigger breeding patterns of the area's herbivore and avian species. A new green envelops the trees, while the undergrowth turns lush with sprightly shoots and new food resources. Dry riverbeds and channels now course with tumbling, muddy waters, deep pools and dark necklace-shaped cloisters of fish fingerling.
DANGEROUS TIME
However, this period is of major concern for park authorities. With the collapse of its internal road network, the rains also bring a most vulnerable time for the park, when anti-social elements are bent upon damaging nature in several ways. Indeed, tourism forms an important conservation tool at this time of the year, the safari-goers keeping check on illegal activities.
Closing the park has ecological significance, no doubt, as it provides significant time of undisturbed peace for wildlife. However, a limited presence of visitors actually acts as a deterrent to anti-social elements. A raging debate over the pros and cons of human interference has finally given way to a controlled visitor presence in the park during the rainy months. This could be of vital importance in providing tourist and forest guard patrolling in some areas of the park.
The Jhirna tourism zone, about 2km from Jim's Jungle Retreat, is open the entire year. We also await a decision on whether night safaris will be allowed in the park. The authorities seem to have concluded that limited night drives with forest guards in every vehicle would be beneficial to the park's dwellers, providing much-needed patrolling at a dangerous time for wildlife.
OF DEER HAREMS AND BIRD NESTS
As the village folk get busy with their seasonal planting, either paddy or soybean crops, the determinant being the extent of rains, rutting calls of stags can be heard with increasing frequency within the forest depths. Rains also bring with them squads of insects, their presence in the dense vegetation forcing animals to take refuge in open areas, especially in the teak plantations and on highways.
Animal sightings are therefore great in open areas during safaris. Corbett’s ungulates such as deer, boars and antelopes, get busy with their breeding, a cycle triggered with the first few showers of rain. Male deer like the cheetal and sambhar make fabulous displays of their antlers, to seduce and entice, by garlanding them with the profuse vegetation of the monsoon. Except for the kakar, or the barking deer, most deer species are now forming their harems. (The kakar pairs with one partner each season.) For the rest, fighting males make big displays of their dominance, locking antlers with any challenger, making this one of the most common sights.
Many of the smaller birds are also breeding at this time and in a few weeks from now mother and chicks will be a common sight. The profuseness in ground vegetation and a rising insect population provide ample feeding opportunity to insectivorous birds at this crucial breeding time. Quails, patridges, pheasants, raptors, owls, parakeets, barbets, etc. are seen with their chicks in the beginning of the season while many of the cuckoos are busy finding other bird-nests to lay their eggs.
This also is the time to look for new nests on the ground. The Eurasian thick-knee, one of the most conspicuous birds on the ground, gets busy distracting the attention of jackals approaching towards its nest by putting a wing under one of its feet as if it is injured.
TIGERS & TUSKERS
With the nullahs and other water courses cutting forest roads and highways across, flash floods are increasingly common.
Solitary elephant tuskers begin their courting rituals now, determined to fight to protect its harem. During the monsoon, elephants herds, their dominant male at the centre, move together in search of fodder. The Jhirna tourism zone produces excellent elephant sightings during this time. The excitement builds when loner makhanas – giant but tusk-less males - try and join a herd but are strongly rebuffed.
Tigers have no fixed breeding time and they may breed anytime of the year depending upon the availability of prey and water. Plenty of water keeps them cool during this sultry weather. But due to the vegetation’s denseness and excess water availability, tiger sightings begin to slow down. However, our walking safaris in the forest alongside Jim’s Jungle Retreat have fetched excellent tiger sightings in the past.
Meantime, as the rains fill up snake burrows, forcing them out, there are plenty of young frogs to feast on as they too begin to emerge from newly-created monsoon ponds. King Cobra and python sightings increase at this time. A recent sighting of a King Cobra killing and swallowing a Monitor lizard happened just about a week ago and was witnessed and photographed by one our guests, Manik Kaur Harika. Thanks much for your photographs! A rare sight indeed.
