| 23 February |
| PM. First afternoon back in the park this year, and just looking for a pleasant drive to get the feel of the place. Everything seems very dry, a result of the last monsoon providing only half of the average rainfall. The park authorities have created a small new waterhole in the Mirchani area, and we parked alongside to listen for alarm calls. Finally we spotted a few small patches of orange and an ear in the trees some 50 metres back from the waterhole. We were able to see bits of the tiger, but never the whole animal, though working on an identikit format we decided that this was one of the Mirchani males. He rose and walked away into the forest without coming to drink. We drove slowly back to the main meadow. The forest department have cut and burned a large area on the main meadow (apparently to remove a type of fern) and the area looks black and barren. On the edge of this we saw Chakradhara resting, just in front of the watchtower where Alphonse Roy filmed her making a kill for the BBC programme “Tiger Kill”. Normally we would not have seen her as the vegetation would have kept her hidden, and the removal of the cover has changed the layout of one of her favourite places to hunt. We had no time left, as the park was about to close, so we headed for the gate. When we were almost at the gate we saw Chorbera walking alongside the track. She was obviously going to cross, but we had no time to wait. Three tigers in the first afternoon; a great start. |
 |
| 24 February |
| AM. Drove around the eastern border of the park. Saw many pugmarks but no other sign of the tigers. Having completed our route we were first to the elephants and had a good sighting of Chorbera on top of a low grassy bank in the morning sun. As more elephants arrived, she moved from the bank into a small area of grass surrounded by vines. She had a bad limp, but this has been apparent for two to three months, and only affects her when she walks. When she runs to hunt the injury doesn’t bother her at all. On the way to the elephants we saw a jackal on the road near Bhatan. He must have been very short sighted as he closed to within 10 metres of the jeep before suddenly jumping with surprise as he realised we were there! |
| PM. In the afternoon we decided to check out Jhurjura waterhole. The last monsoon was poor (the second in a row) with only half of the average rainfall being recorded. As a result the level of the waterhole was much lower than usual for this time of year, and there was only a small puddle in the bottom. Fortunately there was enough to make it worth the tigers’ while to come and drink, and after a while we heard the sound of deer alarm calls as the mother and her three cubs approached. We saw the mother cross the road on the dry riverbed that cuts across the track as it leaves the dam, and we drove into the small viewing area sited above the waterhole. Soon the tiger appeared and crossed the low cliffs heading down to the water. She then spent several minutes drinking before calling to her cubs to join her. One cub at least crossed the road, but they were a little nervous of coming down to the water and so crossed back to try again later, once all the vehicles had gone. |
|
| 25 February |
| AM. Many pugmarks on the tracks in the early morning, but no sign of the cats once again. Had a good encounter with groups of rhesus macaques and langur as they walked through the forest looking for food. One of our jeeps had the first sighting of Chakradhara and her new cubs. |
| PM. This afternoon we went to Zone 2 of the park (also referred to as Maghdi). Most of this zone has been newly opened this season. With the number of jeeps in the Zone 1 of the park (also referred to as Tala) being restricted, this area will now get regular visits from the tourists, especially at peak season. This is good for the tigers as the tourist jeeps can help to see what is happening in the area on a regular basis. It will also help to get a more accurate view on how many tigers are actually in these areas. The highlights of the afternoon were a changeable hawk eagle that had killed a jungle fowl in the bamboo, a visit to one of the elephant camps (a 6 month old playful elephant is always guaranteed to lift the spirits), and a very large jungle cat at the side of the main road when we left the gate at Badrasilla in the evening. PS: Heard news that the Forest Department is looking to move tigers to Panna in an attempt to mate with the solitary male that is supposedly left there. From Bandhavgarh they were thinking about Chorbera, but after protests from the guides and drivers it now looks like the chosen victim will be Bhitri. More soon. |
|
26 February
|
| Picked up a bug from somewhere, so need to stay at home for today. |
| |
|
| 27 February |
| AM. Our first success of the morning was finding the two Mirchani brothers on the eastern boundary of the park, though only visible as two furry lumps in the grass. We then had word that Bandar (aka B2) had been seen near Barra Nala, and so we quietly slipped away to go and see. He was lying down among the bamboo, seemingly oblivious to us. His normal desire to start walking finally got the better of him, and after sitting up and looking at us for a few minutes, he decided to walk out onto the track. Showing his usual contempt for the jeeps he passed through a very small gap and headed for the nala, only to reappear in a completely unexpected spot at the top of a small rise in the road, giving those nearest a very good view of the tiger standing above them. Finally he headed down in the nala and started to walk along it, before disappearing from view. He looked to be walking with a limp, which had been a result of a disagreement with Boka, his biggest rival for position as dominant male. Time was pressing and we had to leave, and on he way out we came across Chorbera resting on a rocky ledge on the side of the gorge through which the Charanganga flows out of the park. The elephants were there, so we climbed aboard. We had some good static views of her resting on the ledge before she began to walk across the slope, jumping from rock to rock as she went. |
| PM. In the afternoon we returned to the spot where we had seen Bandar in the morning, as did most of the jeeps in the park, keen to catch a sight of the park’s most iconic tiger. Figuring that he would be heading to the waterhole in Sita Mandap, we positioned ourselves further down the nala on the route he would normally take. Sure enough he crossed the road at the junction where we had parked and headed upwards. We quickly drove up the hill to the slope overlooking the waterhole, and readied ourselves in anticipation. We didn’t have to wait very long. A solitary langur began to approach the waterhole and, sensing that something was wrong, stood up on his haunches and looked behind him. He left the waterhole very quickly…. Bandar slowly went along the entrance to the waterhole, which sits almost hidden in a narrow gorge, and slowly eased himself out of sight into the water to bathe and drink. The first sign of his departure was a spray of water as he flicked his tail, slowly followed by the head and body of the cat himself. He went up the steep bank opposite our vantage point and began to groom himself in the late afternoon sun. Slowly he departed over the hill, resting periodically as he went, the remaining jeeps trying to catch a last glimpse of this huge tiger. Most jeeps returned directly towards the main meadow, but we chose to go back via the nala we had originally seen Bandar at. Suddenly we realised that there were pugmarks over the tracks that had been made earlier, and began to scan the nala for another tiger. We found Bhitri resting in the nala near one of the road crossings, and spent a good half hour watching her on our own as the light slowly faded. Apparently the elephants had been out all afternoon looking for her so that they could take her to Panna. Very sad. |
|
| 28 February |
| AM. Drove along towards the main meadow, looking for signs of Chakradhara and her new cubs, who were reportedly between the road leading to the Sheshaiyya and the road leading to the fort. We waited for a while with a small group of jeeps, and deep in the brush we saw mother and cubs begin to move downhill towards Gupalpur waterhole. We realised that she was heading to cross the fort road, so instead of trying for a near impossible view through the vegetation, we drove around to wait for her there. Soon we were rewarded with the sight of the mother heading straight for us at a fast walk. Chakradhara is not fond of jeeps at the best of times and she duly charged the jeep, veering at the last minute and crossing across the front of the jeep at about 5 metres, all teeth bared and roaring. The cubs followed her across the road but too far down the track for a clear view. We headed back to the main track and parked next to the Maharaja’s old bandstand. Shortly the mother crossed the road. Again the cubs followed further away, but this time they were close enough to get a clear view. Even better, three of them stopped in the middle of the road to look at us briefly as they crossed. The morning ended with us on elephant looking at Chorbera resting in the shade of a small gorge. |
| PM. A quiet afternoon. First at Chakradhara meadow and then at Jhurjura waterhole. Some alarm calls at the waterhole, but that’s all. |
|
| 1 March |
| AM. Spent the morning on the fort, looking at the temple and the old ruins that date back hundreds of years. We timed our arrival on the south side of the hill to coincide with the vultures beginning their search for the morning thermals, and were rewarded with repeated flybys at eye level, over a thousand feet above the plain below. |
| PM. In the afternoon we found Bhitri in Barra Nala, more or less in the same spot as we had seen her on the 27th. She was dozing and rolling over occasionally, but was pestered with flies. Then we drove to Mirchani to look for the two males. We saw tracks but no other signs, and so we decided to take a tea break and watch the world go by. Halfway through we had a shout from one of the other jeeps and drove quickly around the next junction, arriving in a good position to see one of the males walking on the road. He sat down and looked at us before hearing a chital alarm call, probably caused by his brother. He stood and paused to look into the distance before slowly walking into the forest. |
|
| 2 March |
| AM. First into the gate, and this time driving on the eastern periphery of the park, looking at lots of fresh tracks on the road. Driving slowly, we crested a sharp rise in the road and heard an alarm call close by and stopped. Suddenly we realised that Banbai was standing a few metres away. She walked slowly for a few metres alongside the jeep and then went onto the road behind us. One of her three cubs followed her, growling at us as it went past, and began to walk along the track too. We had a great view of both cats walking away from us down the road. We reversed a short way after them and we heard and saw the other two cubs approach. They crossed the road at speed near the point we had just left (!) the last one giving a mini roar as it crossed. Next was time for an elephant ride, and had a good view of Chorbera on a small ledge, resting as the sun slowly worked its way through the tree canopy in the early morning. All before 8:15 ! We took breakfast at Sheshaiyya, marvelling at the statue of the reclining Vishnu. |
| PM. A quiet drive in Zone 2. Saw some good interaction between jackals, including one young trying to get its mother to feed it by regurgitating food. |
|
| 3 March |
| AM. “A” route is closed, and it looks like the authorities are going to try and move Bhitri today. Saw a changeable hawk eagle feeding on a chital fawn that could only be a few days old. Not sure if the eagle was feeding on carrion or had actually killed the deer itself; a large and powerful bird, it could quite easily take an animal that size. |
| PM. Very quiet. Had afternoon coffee at Sheshaiyya while listening for alarm calls. Saw some langur and young in the late afternoon sun. Found out later that Bhitri had been collared and flown out via Umaria to Panna. Looks like the idea is to take one tigress from Bandhavgarh and one from Kanha to put with a male who may or may not be there and is in indeterminate condition. I’m all for relocating tigers to prime habitats to repopulate areas, but surely this would need to be done with higher numbers if the end result is to be a viable and stable population. There is also the question as to whether Bhitri was the best candidate for relocation, since she had just successfully fought to establish her own territory in the park. There are several litters in Bandhavgarh who will be maturing within 6 to 8 months and looking for territory, probably having to move out of the protection of the core area as a result. These would have been far better candidates for the project. |
|
| 4 March |
| AM. The day started with a quiet drive through the hills above the Badi Gufa caves, with evidence of a female’s pugmarks but no other signs. No news at Hardia gate as we had our morning tea either. However, on leaving the checkpoint we soon came across a group of jeeps parked at the Damna culvert. The two Mirchani males were resting on the riverbank in the long grass, and a patch of striped orange could be seen lit by the morning sun. The second male rolled over in the grass to reveal his white underside, so we now knew where both tigers were. After a while one male rose and crossed the stream, walking upstream a short way before settling down on the far bank. The other male followed a short time afterwards. This was a good sighting in the middle distance showing tigers in their natural habitat. |
| PM. In the afternoon we drove along Barra Nala looking for B2, before driving around the eastern edge of the park and finishing up in the Mirchani area. We drew up to a parked jeep expecting to find them looking at an eagle in the trees, but were pleasantly surprised to find that they were looking at Mirchani female sleeping in the long grass. We watched her for over an hour as she dozed, occasionally flicking her tail at the flies and raising her head for a few brief moments before rolling onto her opposite side. Eventually she got up and started to walk through the forest to join the track. We followed her down the track, and she occasionally stopped to spray the trees and bamboo to mark her territory. Finally she disappeared into the forest and the other jeeps left for the park gate as the afternoon was heading to a close. We drove along the track planning to wait and see if she came back to the track, and I asked Ajit to wait where a small nala crossed the road in a steep dip. Soon we heard the rustle of leaves as the tigress walked through the forest, and were rewarded as she emerged from the nala onto the track just where we had hoped. She looked at us inquisitively, and then lay down in the road. We took some pictures and rolled back down the slope toward her in stages. She just sat there and watched. After a few minutes she rose and walked back into the forest in the direction she had come. A great sighting made all the more special, as we were the only jeep that saw her. Patience, patience and more patience… |
| |
|
|
|
|
