THE TIGER TRAIL!

The difference between a tourist and a traveler is that the tourist carries his own atmosphere around with him, the traveler tries to lose himself in his surroundings.                                  Freya Stark

I joined the group of ‘loafing ladies’, really, ‘laughing ladies’, hoping to travel and explore Incredible India. As I set out for Kanha and Pench, never did I dream of hitting the tiger trail at Pench, in Mowgli’s Land!

Our journey to Kanha was uneventful. As we drove into ‘Pugmark Resort’, located in Khatia village on the buffer zone, we got a glimpse of what was to follow- exotic tiger terrain! The resort was charming …from the two stuffed tigers mounted on the tree, to the delightful little villages surrounding it! I have brought back very fond memories of the resort, for here we were treated as family, by the Yadavs, who run the establishment. They are a warm and caring family, and we settled in soon and hit the first of our eight safari tours.

We entered Tiger country, a lush mixed forest, with thick undergrowth.  The huge anthills, the black boulders, the dried leaves and the fallen branches, played havoc with my imagination, each taking on the shape of some wild creature! The forest was strangely quiet that afternoon, as the guide unraveled, one by one, the wondrous world of the forest, inhabited by the Crocodile Bark trees, the green leafy Sal trees, the dense Bamboo grass, some with tiny white flowers, others, already dry after the flowering season! The tall Tendu trees were agog with bright young leaves, the Mahua, resplendent with red and green foliage. And amidst these, the Indian Ghost tree, which stood out, as if it had recently been white-washed! 

 Yet, the forest was alive and kicking! Here and there, darted the spotted deer, the small barking deer, lonesome Sambars, the dark Nilgais, the cunning jackals-always in pairs; the angry Gaur (a wild ox) and the wild Boars. The Sloth Bears and Leopards roamed about at night, away from the eyes of curious tourists. The forest soon gave way to grassland and meadows, the home of the Barasingha.  Here we found herds of deer grazing silently. The hot afternoon had silenced the chattering monkeys, the common langurs and the rhesus macaque.  They emerged, curiously, one by one and soon, they were all there, on the tree in front of us, on the dusty path, these playful sentinels of the forest!

 As afternoon turned to evening, we heard the call of birds, the glorious peacocks, in their enticing dance, with the peahens following shyly behind! A blue jay flitted across the branches. The owl and the eagles were perched in the shade. At the waterholes, were king fishers, cormorants and egrets, and here we waited for sometime, for the King to appear!

 The early morning jungle is very cold, and very quiet. As the sun rose, it energized the whole forest, which came alive with intermittent call of birds. We could hear the loud mating calls and we heard the desperate alarm calls. The whole forest then waits with bated breath, for this signals that the King is on his prowl. The monkey shrieks in warning, the barking deer screams to save its life. Somewhere, hidden from  human eyes, lurks the predator. We stop and wait with bated breath! Again, it’s a false alarm!

Kanha National Park and Tiger Reserve in the Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, is the largest National Park in Central India. The Pench Tiger Reserve is located in the Seoni and Chhindwara districts. Both Kanha and Pench forest Reserves are maintained very well. The forest safari is divided into zones or paths, with each zone having its water hole and rest houses. Here, live forest guards and mahouts with trained elephants. Each vehicle must keep to the route/zone allotted and any diversion is penalized. Every morning, the mahouts set off early, and with the help of pug marks, distress calls, and radio collars, monitor the movement of these elusive big cats. When one of them is spotted, and the forest officials feel it is safe to bring in the tourists, the information is relayed to the rest house and tourists are taken on elephant back, deep into the jungle, on first come first served basis, on a payment of Rs. 200 each.

The first morning we got an opportunity to view the ‘tiger show’. We raced on our jeep, scrambled on elephant backs and went a very short distance into the forest…and there, lay the Magnificent tiger, beside the stream, its belly bloated with deer meat, the carcass rotting nearby! It could hardly raise its head to view the scene around it-four elephants, with four tourists each, a dozen forest guards and mahouts, in all. After a minute, the elephant turned back and brought in another group of eager tourists! I will never forget this glorious setting…the tiger lying deceptively like a pampered pet!

 We spent three days at Kanha and two at Pench. We had not spotted the elusive tiger during our safari in Kanha, but were given to understand that sighting in Pench would be easier, as the forest consisted of predominantly teak trees, which had dried up in summer.  The undergrowth was also dry and this would enhance visibility. The river Pench was almost dry, as were most of the water holes, which were few and far between. The log cabins at Tiger N Woods Resort, located at the edge of the jungle, were the perfect getaway for the travel bugs. It was easy to believe that we were literally being taken for a ride!

Sunday, the last of our eight safaris! We had finished packing and thoughts of home were already tugging at our hearts. It was hot and the travel group was mighty disappointed with the near misses in spotting the tiger! We jealously listened to the experiences of other tourists who had seen the tiger walking by or lying almost camouflaged, or devouring its prey! We came to believe that we were the most unfortunate ones and a team member decided to stay back. So we set out on our last ride together.

We had just driven half an hour into the forest, when our young and alert guide noticed pug marks. He announced that it belonged to a tigress, which had been spotted with her three cubs! Our responses must not have added to his enthusiasm, as we believed it was one more false alarm. But the guide was insistent, he asked us to keep watch to our left. Slowly, the trees petered out and in a wide clearing, right on a stretch of brown dry grasses, we saw the  most unbelievable sight……the mother tiger with her three cubs, seated, getting  ready for the morning siesta!

We stopped short, with bated breath.  Staring unbelievably for a few minutes, looking askance! One little tiger moved aside, out of view, into the thicket. Then out came the binoculars, the cameras! The tiger family seemed to be oblivious of our presence. All three lay down, and the cubs would pick up and give their heads a shake by turns, sometimes wander off, even look directly at us! The mother ignored the little ones; she wanted a good sleep and with her paws raised up, went into slumber.

Soon we were joined by other jeeps, many more tourists and the click click of the cameras. We took in this scene for an hour. The sun rose higher, it grew unbearably hot and mother and cubs rose to leave for a shady home. Just then, our jeep jerked forward. Our driver had forgotten to put the hand brake and we did not see the tigers walking away!