Videos of The Wild

Tiger Videos

Wild Dog at Kill

Tiger Video

The male tiger was patrolling his territory at Kanha National Park whence we tracked him down. He was walking head-on straight at us nonchalantly scent-marking his territory while having a casual look at the prey in alarm.  This was a long walk and shot the video in two breaks.

Wild Dogs or Dhole 

We spotted two dholes on spotted deer kill at Kanha National Park in India. They had killed the deer by puncturing his belly as we could make out from the blood-soaked grass around us.

Uday Patel Works as Naturalist Guide in Central India
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com

Video Male Tiger in Pursuit

Kanha National Park

Guests Roger & Key Topping UK 

Courtyard House Kanha 

Sr. Naturalist Uday Patel

It was a fine morning whence we located tiger prints on the hill while on safari. We tracked the tiger down after a lot of driving and reaching the right spot from where he usually emerges. We had to wait not for long for the trepidation among the heads of the gaur family to inform us of what to expect. 

Rightly so he emerged from the bushes silently like a ghost and then came into the open at the fire line. We rolled down the hill a bit and waited. The big male tiger emerged behind us in what looked like a pre-programmed move. Unmindful of us he began scent marking and walked down towards us. It was a shaky safari as we reversed to maintain a safe distance the video here tells all.  

A Memorable Trip to Bandhavgarh

It was generosity of erstwhile Maharani of Rewa that we discovered Bandhavgarh. Our guests were slated to stay at Kanha Rest House but the booking was abruptly canceled. Maharani Sahiba was a visitor to our old house and she obliged by offering the keys to her Kothi at Bandhavgarh.  

Jeep Ride at Bandhavgarh

The discovery was amazing for the reserve as we discovered was home to tigers and some were often seen. 

Tiger at Bandhavgarh

We would visit the park many times a year one group or other. The desolate forest rest house was our shelter before White Tiger Lodge of MPTDC  was established. With hardly any tourists we had fun time and could well relate with the staff of the National Park. 

On Elephant Back

Machaan

Getting reservation was easy and all we had to do was to drive to Umaria on the way and contact the Field Directors Office for reservation which was happily granted. Then in the nineties popularity of the park became overwhelming and tourism flooded. Then all visits were formal but we continued our forays in the wild and still do. 

Machaan

Now I freelance as Naturalist and Birder with visits to tiger reserves being very frequent. The earlier visits that laid a foundation for my career today. The initiation was begun by my father's Bidi manufacturing business and we would look forward to tendu patta collection in the forest during the summers. 

Forest Rest House Bandhavgarh

In the seventies the destinations Bandhavgarh and Kanha were less developed and one had to carry rations and other belongings with us. Ha! It was truly wild then.   

Tiger sightings took place on elephant back and rarely on open jeeps. It was all economy in those days with few rupees as entrance fee and a room for Rs.60 at White Tiger Lodge. We could learn a lot from the mahouts and guides and occasional visiting photographers and were introduced to birds and animals in the parks. My cousins could photograph using simple cameras. 

Howdah

What more can be desired for our memory bank. Travels in older times!

Tiger Tourism: The ADD ON Racket - Online Booking

Ever since the Government or rather the NTCA capped entry into the tiger reserves in India its impact on the tourism industry has been disastrous. The unplanned expansion of accommodations in the tiger reserve precedes the implementation of the cap. Almost all tiger reserves overflow with a number of lodges and many of them are on the verge of closure.  

With the rise in tourism post-nineties, a mad rush to set up lodges in the outer confines took place. The cap came much later whence a PIL was filed in the SC calling for the ban on tiger tourism. The ban was supposed to be in totality hence perpetually placing the big cat out of the eye of the public. 

The ban if implemented would have had a disastrous impact on our tourism industry. Already under pressure, the tourism industry cannot bear the impact of such bans on prime indicator species and destinations. This is not all, after flourishing for decades the ban would have thrown a large number of the populace out of work. The local industry would have been the sufferer as well - directly or indirectly. 

Thankfully wiser counsel has prevailed and we are able to see the tiger in daylight. Nevertheless, as an enhanced conservation measure a cap was placed on the entry of vehicles into the park.     

The cap meant limited demand for accommodation and it also meant limited permits that would have assured the arrival of tourists. Without permits no tourist would book accommodation...that is obvious. 

Destinations that do not have alternative recreational places or opportunities are the worst hit. At these places the only way to run and profit from the lodges is to ensure tiger safari in the park for the guests. An unlimited alternative lies in the buffer but the buffer zones are habituated and do not yield any fruitful sightings, hence the tourist does wish to partake in a buffer safari.

The tiger safari bookings in Madhya Pradesh are carried out at the MP Online Site as well as at the current windows in the reserves. Both are subject to availability albeit there is no hue and cry about the availability and management of the tickets at the current windows the online booking system is like a storm in the eye.  

It is at the online booking portal where most of the anomaly exists. Taking advantage of the add-on system where you can add tourists forty-eight hours before the entry many lodges are into proxy bookings in name of their employees. This assures that whence tourists make a booking the add-on procedure is utilized and the tourists are added to the safari. Another charge that is being promulgated is that a hefty sum is charged from the tourists. This practice is being put in place by lodges that can afford to bear the cancellation charges. Obviously, these could be lodges with a hefty tariff.   

There was simmering contempt regarding this practice for a long time but no one paid heed. Now since a complaint has been filed with the authorities attention has been drawn toward the lacunae. 

How the authorities foolproof this system of ADD On or strike it out completely has to be seen. A lot of booking for the coming months have already been cornered and will be used to Add on future bookings.  

Pensive Tiger By Teerath Singh 

Populating Tigers in Satkoshia Gorge in Odisha

Satkoshia Gorge is a tiger reserve that has an extensive spread of almost seven miles of the gorge as reported. Thus the name Saat stands for 7 Kosh stands for miles. It is in the Angul District of Odisha. 

The reserve has recent sightings of two females as per the reports. In order to populate tigers at Satkoshia an ambitious program has been chalked out, and good to know that it is an interstate program.

Well MP Government has sent one male tiger to the reserve and the translocation has been successful. The project was carried out under the aegis of Mr. Sanjay Shukla the present field director of Kanha Tiger Reserve in Central India.   

The program is to trans-locate six tigers of which one has already taken place. Another translocation was carried out under FD Mr. Mridul Pathak from Bandhavgarh. Here are some photographs of the events at Kanha  & Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserves. 

Repopulating Tigers 

With the use of modern translocation techniques and tranquilizing methods, the exercise has become safer and a good number of trans-locations have been carried out in India.   

This has been hailed as a good conservation management adaptation. But then the fear is of wanton projects that could undermine the populations of resident tigers. Another fear is a disturbance to breeding and family structure at the place of residence. Thankfully this has not happened because planned efforts are being made to conserve this critically endangered species in India. 

Repopulating tigers usually results in balancing populations in a given habitat in a reserve. This results in the mitigation of territorial fights which often leads to fatality as has been witnessed at Mukki Zone in Kanha recently.

In a given area, the presence of even one dominant male keeps the breeding cycle going without friction between contesting males. The space between takeover by other males is time-stretched allowing the dominant male to complete a life cycle. This is also applicable to tigresses.

Population dynamics are studied carefully and an imbalance in male to female ratio is also a consideration. The presence of cubs and the sire is also taken into consideration. It is a long-drawn exercise and requires extensive planning. Another good that has taken place is that life forms have escaped the vicious net of parochialism as has been seen in the case of Asiatic Lion translocation from Gir in Gujarat.                   

Teams at Satkoshia 

Collaring

Darted Male

Elephants rounding up

ReleaseatEnclosure

Team Kanha 

Shifting

In the enclosure at Satkoshia

Team BTR

Tigress BTR

Transportation 

Collared Tigress BTR

Team at BTR 

Tigress Being Tranquilized BTR

In the truck

 Tigress Bandhavgarh

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No Parochialism This! - Tiger Translocation

Perhaps for the first time, a tiger from Madhya Pradesh has been trans-located to another state. MB 2 male tiger has been tranquilized and is being shifted out of the state to Satkosia Gorge Tiger Reserve in the State of Orissa. He is a big male seen often in the Mukki Zone of Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.

Since the last couple of years, Mukki Zone had become a battleground for males seeking dominance. Internecine battles as can be described took place between Kingfisher, Uma and Bhima, and perhaps Chotta Munna. The scuffle for dominance resulted in the death of two male tigers Bhima and Kingfisher. The battles that took place were territorial as well as for procreation. 

       

Video Uploaded By Sharad Vats shows MB2 and Uma male in a scuffle.

MB2 was born from mating between a female of Mukki and a Uma male which is why in the scuffle here he was just pushed off and not killed. But the battle would rage on hence it is a good decision by the Kanha Management to trans-locate him to another tiger reserve.   

MB2 is no match for his father and in the ensuing battle, there was a chance he could have been killed as has happened to the two males. 

With most of the tiger habitats destroyed in India territorial battles between males have become a regular affair with damaging consequences. Since the males cannot spread out trans-locating them is a means to mitigate vicious territorial fights which could lead to the death of the tigers.  

Satkosia Gorge Tiger Reserve has two females once this male tiger from Kanha settles down tiger breeding will begin. Few more tigers are being sent to this reserve as per reports. 

This interstate tiger translocation is a heartening event and speaks much about the sagacity of Kanha management and the MP Government. Practice like this one is carried out in good faith and for the good of the feline species which is in deep trouble.

If only the Gujarat Government takes heed and makes translocation of Asiatic Lion possible to Kuno Palpur in MP it will augur well for the species as well fetch the State out of parochialism. Well, who knows this event will be an eye-opener.  

Munna Returns! A Tiger in The Pool!

A Survival Saga in The Wild

After missing for some time we came across this magnificent beast who is a legend of Kanha National Park in India. We were actually searching for M1 the new male who is often seen in the area.

Is he a living fossil? Well No?

But his survival is miraculous and mysterious. Normally tiger's life span in the wild is 14 to 16 years. Perhaps he is the oldest living tiger in the wild. No big cat in Kanha has been able to command such a large area as a dominant male. He has virtually ruled all over the park both in the core and buffer.      

A look down below the steep precipice resulted in a tiger being sighted in a pool. We did not know who it was but the subsequent roaring definitely suggested Munna. We could see him well from all angles, a tiny diminutive figure hardly suggested a big cat but it was. I could then see it moving and as per our judgment, we too moved a small distance forward and came to stop in front of the dry stream.

In summers in Kanha, most of the sources of water come to an end but this rivulet contained a pool some distance away from where we were stationed. And it was at this pool that we saw the tiger. Expecting it to emerge at the dry portion of the stream we waited patiently. Since it was time for the Sun to set the likelihood was great.      

The beast did emerge roaring as he used to do in his heydays. He came close on to the dry stream and began scent marking before he sat down near the tree to eat sand. Tigers do this to make up for lack of minerals. 

Munna had a habit of repeating his moves and so we reached the same spot the other evening. We were not disappointed Munna tiger emerged from a pathway and came to a halt near our jeep. He looked much feebler than before and could walk a few steps and rest. He looked terribly sad and forlorn as old age overtook him and he was no longer capable of warding off dominant males.

He was not active as usual and appeared hungry unable to make a kill perhaps. He moved some distance away roaring profusely and came to rest again. The male tiger continued to roar as he sat resting under the shade of a tree. 

We watched the magnificent creature emphatically perhaps saddened by his plight and aware that his time has come. Will we see him next season? Well, you never know ageing Munna is capable of springing surprises thanks to his indomitable survival instinct.

Presumed dead being over eighteen years of age and feeble he surprised everyone by appearing near the same spot in June 2019. Long Live Munna I Hope To See You in October Again.  

Fifty Years of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

I remember sighting my first-ever male tiger at Bandhavgarh in 1974. This was at Kill Khuta where bait was tied overnight to attract a tiger. Well, it was successful, but I could see the magnificent beast only at the fag end of the day.  

Tiger

The forest belts encompassing the Vindhyan Ranges near Umaria were constituted as National Park in the year 1968. This was earlier the hunting reserve of erstwhile Maharajahs of Rewa. Mohun the first and only white tiger found in the wild was discovered somewhere in these forests by HH  Martandsingh Deo. The discovery threw light on the remote and isolated kingdom of the tiger. 

Fort Wall

Temple

Look Out

The success as a conservation unit was augured whence Bandhavgarh was brought under the aegis of Project Tiger, and hence became a tiger reserve. This happened in 1993 and today the big cat population is constantly on the rise surviving in approx 1100 sq. km of Sal forests. The protection accorded to the tiger eventually helped all life forms. They benefited from the enrichment of the ecosystem as a whole and the protection accorded to the habitat niches.

Bengal Tiger

The limelight has also been brought out into the open, with remains of ancient civilizations that once thrived here. While the fort is in ruins many architectural splendors survive and enchant during the safaris.  

Ancient Stable

With the increase in tiger numbers sighting increased as well and Bandhavgarh from a sleepy little reserve became a popular destination as well. Though visited by few interested in the wilderness since its inception, the number of visitors increased substantially in the late nineties. This called for greater tourism infrastructure and as a result, a number of hotels and resorts were built. 

Tourism Gate Bandhavgarh

Tourists flocked from all over the globe to see the legendary tigers as well as amazing birds that thrived in the National Park. Big cats like Banka, Barka, Sita, Charger, and B2 to name a few became legendary and attracted lots of tourists, wildlife photographers, and filmmakers alike. The reserve also contains training and research centers. Animal translocation and disease management are crucial elements of conservation and the techniques are being applied here.  

Leopard

Apart from conservation, the park benefited immensely from the thriving tourism industry. Jobs and small businesses fulfilling the needs of tourists increased fourfold and the empowerment of local communities took place rapidly.                

Reclining Vishnu 

Today the park is one of the fifty tiger reserves set up in India. But the name and fame of Bandhavgarh continue to climb higher and higher. With greater efforts, the tiger population in the reserve is going to increase thus helping in fetching the animal species out of danger of extinction. 

Sambar deer

Hotels

Image Courtesy Tirath Singh

Exciting Leopard Sightings at Kanha

Guests From UK 
Andrew & Rebecca
Courtyard House Kanha

We had missed the tigress having seen the cubs along with the mother we were seeking other wilderness experiences. As it was bound to be the guide was a bit overzealous and took the wrong turn in spite of my instructions. We did not venture into the road of the last day's sightings. But then as always happens a tiger sighting missed is not a good experience.
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But I did not insist instead I decided to venture into a less-traveled path, and rewarded we were. One benefit of a slow drive in the forests is that you come across more, you would otherwise miss if you shoot through. Anyway rules and regulations do not allow speed beyond 20km/hour, and I am a stickler.  

I could make out that the route we had taken was devoid of safari vehicles as most of them had already scoured the area and were on the way for breakfast. Silence, no traffic and slow speed besides alert senses fetch the unthinkable in the Indian forests. 

The leopard was actually turning back for as we realized later, the cub hearing the jeep sound was not willing to cross the road. We were at a distance from the predator as he crossed over and from an angle, we could see her sitting peacefully well lit by strands of morning sun sneaking through the canopy. 

Sometimes it is difficult to decide which animal is striking the tiger or the leopard. Well, that's an individual judgment. I was awe-struck as the light fell on the graceful creature looking inquisitively at us from between the thickets. 

"There is a cub with her!" I whispered upon seeing the young one in the thickets. We stayed put at a distance. The mother came out once again picked up a fallen log and stood looking at us expecting the cub to cross the road and be on the way.  For a long time, the female stood content looking at us surprised but not completely in that serene ambiance. This was a unique sight and we were placed quite close to the leopard cub while the mother was at the other end. They were separated by a twenty feet jungle road.

The Vanishing Leopard in India

One Starry Night in The Forest

The female must have been waiting to cross over the road whence my jeep intruded on the serene ambiance of the starry night. Thwarted by the strong headlights the disturbed leopard stood still peering into the ghostly darkness at the bizarre animal in the metal contraption. 

My staff had whispered as we were negotiating the bend on the highway near Jabalpur my hometown. 

"Shining Eyes Sir!"  

It was eleven pm, and I was returning after a busy day purchasing tendu leaf from the Government godown at Kundam about forty km from Jabalpur in the hinterland. There are few places in urban India endowed with forests as good as Jabalpur...albeit losing ground fast due to intruding urbanization.

The reserve forests are losing crown cover here and hold a scarce prey base that supports few remaining leopards desperately surviving. I was also able to come across tigers mating here in the denuded confines of Baghraji Forests perhaps trying to revive their population coming to a definite end in this vanishing wilderness.       

Upon notice by the staff, I brought my jeep to a halt and then reversed. "Point out where exactly you see the eyes reflecting." I switched out the headlights and waited for some time before moving towards the bush where the reflecting eyes were noticed. Pointing my jeep towards the bush I switched on my torch.    

Not one but four pairs of eyes shone as I threw my torch around the bush. It was a female with three cubs about seven feet from us staring at the spectacle of humans in an open jeep. A few decades back this would have been a normal sighting but in these beleaguered times, this was a rare instance. 

"She will get us!"

I was too engrossed in the spectacle to be cautious about the proximity. I could hear her warning coughs as I put the jeep in forward motion. The story had a sad ending, one of the cubs was poisoned a year after and another ended at a police station platform in broad daylight. The fate of the animals was not known thereafter.   

Leopard Cub

Leopard Female

The Status

The status of leopards in India is on a steep decline. The drastic loss of habitat and the ensuing man-animal conflict is resulting in the endangerment of this beleaguered feline species.  As per the recent news, more than a hundred leopards have been found dead in a spate of two months all over India. This is an alarming figure and the rot does not in any manner seems to stem.  

The rapid decline of feline species speaks of our callous attitude towards wildlife and their habitats in general. The situation is further compounded by the colonial legacy which labeled wild animals as vermin especially the predators in India. Unfortunately, wildlife conservation finds only lip service in the country and no major policy decision takes into consideration the preservation of our heritage wilderness wealth. 

The phenomenal diversity is fast disappearing now limited to protected areas and that too the ones receiving dedicated inputs. In vast countries a minuscule portion of land is subject to preservation, the rest is being exploited without any concern.

We live in an era that takes into account the well-being of one species only...that is us. Other life forms are shamefully neglected. Our news and political speak are only concerned with economic growth figures, welfare schemes, and rabid industrialization at cost of crucial natural resources and of course our health. Society has become so human-centered that we consider other life forms as unimportant and often a big nuisance.  

The attitude will certainly result in warming, water scarcity, pollution, lack of productivity that sustains us, and chaos. Name it and you have it. Beware!              

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The image of predators as bloodthirsty rogues is permanently etched in our minds and that shapes our attitude. Albeit hunting is banned by the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, mass-scale lynching by humans on intruding leopards is a frequently occurring event. Poaching by electrification finds no solution and rising prices of wildlife products are an ever-looming threat the country faces.  

The Vedas preached conservation in an ecosystem known as Hinduism in many thoughts originated and survives till today irrespective of extreme divergence. Why are we not following the sound principles preached by our ancestors as regards nature?      

In the bygone era, wild animals including tigers and leopards lived in close proximity to human populations. The conflict was limited to one odd instance of a man killing in urban scapes... not anymore. Man-eating was due to advancing settlements and reducing prey base. All this good was due to ample forests/habitats prevailing before the denudation took place. Our greed for rabid urbanization, uncontrolled agriculture, and illicit wealth generation has taken a heavy toll on natural places all over and the disastrous practices continue. Human beings in any shape, size, and type have repeatedly shown extreme neglect of their surroundings affecting the health of the habitats and ecosystems prevailing they are in. There is hardly any inviolate space left for other life forms in our country.

The decline of wild animal populations started with bounty hunters and elite sport during the Raj, and the large-scale conversion of forests into agriculture fields not forgetting the ever-increasing settlements. Another age-old activity that has had far-reaching consequences was and is commercial forestry and wood logging.     

Poaching has a substantial role in the large number of leopard deaths that take place every year. This sounds like a death knell for the feline species as the population is estimated below ten thousand all over the country. 

Poaching and denudation is the major threat to our wilderness and strong protective mechanism and conservation practices are the need of the hour. The onus is on the Indian administration and politicians who shape our policies. But this does not keep the general population out of the loop. People's participation and awareness will go a long way to preserving or we will certainly lose our heritage.

Images By Suttons UK.        

Tiger Videos

These are series of mobile video uploads of tigers seen in Kanha National Park in Central India. The videos have been taken during numerous safaris in the park with the guests at Courtyard House Situated in the buffer region of the park. The poor quality is due to mobile limitations and local conditions however I have tried my best to improve. The effort is to display aspects of tiger behaviour and characteristics for amateurs.    

Here is the link!

Tiger Videos on YouTube 

Wild Odyssey in India

Kanha National Park

Guests at Courtyard House

Mark & Karin Anger ; France
Denise Anfrui : France 

The drive was high in expectation a wild odyssey was in making as we boarded the taxi at Jabalpur Station and drove towards Kanha National Park. The enthusiasm of the visitors was palpable from their looks and they expected me to deliver which I did.

The guests were expecting to see some Central Indian wildlife after a visit to Gir National Park in Gujarat to see the Asiatic Lion.  

The next part of the journey was a few days at Bera the popular leopard habitat in Rajasthan in Western India. 

The Kanha trip was a great success with excellent tiger sightings, bird watching, and other enchanting mammals. 

Here are some of the images sent by Denise Anfrui.  

https://adobe.ly/2EiiKn4