| This visit was one of surprises. The first was the weather. The park is normally dry from the end of January until the storms that precede the onset of the monsoon in June. However, we found that there had been some unseasonable showers in March, the wildlife benefiting as the waterholes were topped up again. During our visit we had a couple of thunderstorms, and it was interesting to see the effect that it had on the behaviour of the animals. The rustle of paws on normally dry leaf litter is an important early warning signal for the deer and other prey animals, and the sudden downpour soaked the ground allowing the animals to move around in silence. Immediately after the storm, most animals were nowhere to be found. The few sambar deer that we did see were confused and on edge. The morning after the most spectacular storm, which had lasted most of the night, we entered the park toward the shrine at Sidh Baba through a scene of broken branches and uprooted trees. We found one tree in the centre of the park that had received a direct hit, the charcoaled trunk split apart in the middle and the still green leaves blackened around their edges. |
| The second surprise was two new litters of cubs, who were about 6 to 8 weeks old when we arrived at the end of March. In January we noted that Chorbera’s nipples showed signs of use, seeming to confirm the reports that she had had a recent litter, even though the cubs themselves had not been seen for a while. Sadly, nothing more was seen of them. The good news is that she has a new litter of two. The cubs show a great deal of confidence with their mother, and we were treated to several good sightings of the family together. One evening near the shrine at Sidh Baba, Chorbera came down the hill and crossed the road in front of us, closely followed by one of the cubs. The second cub was not far behind, but it had a brief attack of nerves and paused for a few seconds before plucking up the courage to bound across the road after mother. His bravery drew a round of applause from the watching jeeps!! Later on we were lucky enough to see the cubs suckling in plain view, though some distance from the road. |
| Banbai’s four sub-adult cubs were beginning to separate from her in January, and we are pleased to report that she has already mated and produced a new litter of three. I was lucky enough to be there the first time that the elephants took visitors to view the new arrivals. The images below were taken on 30th March. |
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| This time of year is the season for harvesting the local mowa trees. The milky white fruit drops to the floor and is collected by the villagers. The trees are individually owned, and are passed down to their heirs. The villagers ferment the fruit into a drink, which is said not to leave a hangover in the morning. Many of the animals like the fruit too, and they can get quite drunk if they eat enough !! One morning we saw a palm civet staggering around on the forest floor, and after a short while we realised that it was intoxicated rather than injured. |
| One eager participant in the seasonal feast is the sloth bear, and at this time of year the chances of sighting the bears out foraging increase. We were lucky enough to see four bears, the best sighting being the last afternoon where we followed a big male for about 20 minutes at dusk. He snuffled his way along the forest floor digging into the ground around tree trunks with his huge front paws. Holding both paws together, it only took few scoops to dig down several feet. Intermittently, he paused to look short sightedly at the spectators, the white of his nose and shaggy ears quite distinctive in the fading light. |
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| Chakradhara’s four cubs are now some 16 months old, and have started to pair up and spend an increasing amount of time away from their mother. All look fit and well, and one male cub is becoming more dominant than his siblings (identifiable by a prominent “X” in the stripe pattern on the right cheek). By summer the cubs should have left their mother on a permanent basis ready for her to hopefully mate again. The BBC had a film crew in the park following the family for several months, filming predation sequences for a documentary series on big cats, so you will be able to see them in action in the near future. |
| Life is not always plain sailing for the tigers, and in April Chorbera’s two cubs had a lucky escape, as witnessed by one of the mahouts. She went hunting, after carefully selecting a cave in which to leave the cubs, and made a kill nearby. As she began to eat, she called for the cubs to join her, and a short meal went back to the den looking for the cubs who had not appeared. The reason for this soon became obvious - a sloth bear had discovered the cubs and was attempting to get into the cave. It would have killed the cubs given the opportunity. Fortunately, Chorbera had picked the cave well, and the opening was not large enough for the bear to get all the way in. The cubs, wisely, stayed put. A fight ensued, with bear and tiger claws missing the other by fractions as they tried to land a blow without receiving a serious injury in return. Bear and tiger are more evenly matched than most people imagine, the sloth bear having immensely strong front legs and sharp claws. Any injury which limits an animal’s ability to hunt can ultimately prove fatal, even where it is not killed outright, and both animals realised the potential danger posed by the other. Eventually the bear decided that discretion was the order of the day and retreated, leaving the cubs unharmed. |
| Jujuhra’s two cubs had not been seen for about four weeks, and there was increasing concern for their safety. Conveniently forgetting that tigers can be quite good at not being seen when the need arises, the local press went so far as to state, without any justification, that they had been poached. Fortunately, the day after the story was printed, both cubs were sighted fit and well, and they became regular subjects for elephant sightings for the rest of our stay, as shown by the images below. When there are enough genuine problems and incidents concerning tiger protection that need reporting, it is disappointing that the press should choose to act in this way. This can only undermine the credibility of genuine reporting in the future. |
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| Durga’s two male cubs are still in the park, and one of them provided a memorable encounter one morning. We could hear a tiger’s call in the distance, and waited to see what would happen next. The deep “arroom, arroom” began to get closer and closer, and the other animals in the area became increasingly agitated. Finally the male stepped into view, skirting the base of a small rocky hill. The solo alarm calls of the other animals joined together forming a “jungle orchestra” announcing the tigers arrival, led by the calls of the tiger echoing off the rocks behind. The volume of the noise was incredible. Ignoring the cacophony around him, the tiger walked steadily onwards before climbing the hill and disappearing from view. |
| As usual there was plenty of other wildlife to view. There were a lot of baby langur around – the contrast between the alien looking babies and the proud adults is remarkable – and good sightings of eagle and owl. One afternoon we came upon a juvenile crested hawk eagle that had caught another bird, and was in the process of plucking it prior to eating. The effect resembled a snowstorm falling from the trees. Another memorable sighting was a jungle cat with blue eyes. The young elephant that was born in January is well and getting very playful with visitors. |
Including the new cubs, the number of tigers in the central range now stands somewhere between 21 and 25, depending on the status of Banbai’s last litter of 4 who have matured and moved toward the fringes of the range. During the four weeks in the park, we had 62 sightings, covering 16 different tigers. The park is currently waiting for the monsoon to begin, which should be before the end of June. I’ll be back in the park in November, and the next bulletin should be available before Christmas. As always, if you have any comments or questions, please drop me an email. |
| Bye for now! |
| Pete |
| 21 June 2006 |
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