Bandhavgarh (pronounced BAN-DAV-GARHGGGHVGHH) park is nestled deep within Madhya Pradesh in India. Within its tightly patrolled borders you will find one of the highest densities of tigers in the country, along with a whole lot of beauty and elegance. Don't miss out on everything it has to offer by chasing only tigers while you are there!
Entering Bandhavgarh
The afternoons can be sweltering
There is nothing like a good yawn to get the blood moving after a long nap. I can feel the heat subsiding along with the light - it is time for me to stretch and decide on a prowling trail for the night. Maybe I'll go around the rocky hill by the river. First, though, I'll have a quick sip at the lake. You wouldn't believe how hot you can get wearing a coat like this one.
First things first
Morning yoga
Surveying the scene
I have mixed feelings about the summers here. The heat from the big fireball is brutal and forces me to hide and rest while it is in the sky. On the other hand, it is easier to spot delicious things moving through the area since there are fewer leaves for them to hide behind. The whole place changes from a deep green to a golden brown, but my camouflage works regardless of the scenery - those silly spotted deer can't tell the difference between green and orange because their eyes never evolved the ability to distinguish them.
Barely hanging on
Sneak attack from the trees
A lazy afternoon
Motherly love
The langurs are busy picking things out of their fur in the trees. Oh, and that one just ate whatever it was he pulled out. Disgusting creatures. They are quite tasty, though, just tricky to catch. I have better things to chase today, and I'm still thirsty, so I move along.
Keeping watch
I eat when I am nervous
A cry rings out from the canopy. It's a langur, and it has spotted me. Now the entire forest knows where I am. I don't really care right now, I just want to get a sip of water. Better that they leave the lake all to me anyway.
A refreshing break
Lillies ad infinitum
The river winds its way around my favorite prowling grounds, so I'll follow that for a bit. It's a good place to watch the birds, too. Not that I really care about them - they would hardly be a snack, and they do that annoying flying thing when I get close. Still, some of the bigger and slower ones sometimes hold me over until I can get something a bit more filling.
A serpent eagle spreads its wings
An Indian roller and its prey
The colorful junglefowl is a bit shy
The lesser adjutant stork's name is only slightly shorter than its wingspan
I once caught one of those ridiculous green and blue birds with feathers longer than their entire bodies. They wobble and shake like fish out of water when they dance, which they do quite often even though nobody seems to care. It tasted like chicken, but getting the feathers out from between my teeth took most of the rest of the day.
An Indian roller takes flight
A peahen in the process of being thoroughly unimpressed
A pair of red-naped ibis (or is it, ibii?)
Oh, great. I ran across the most ridiculous of animals. They sit in those big tin cans with wheels and stare at us tigers for hours, waving little metallic clicky things and gesturing to each other. Sometimes I overhear them bragging about how many of us they spotted the day before, as if they were in some sort of competition. I always leave them alone - they probably taste terrible - and I wait until they leave to get up out of the grass to continue on my way. I know they want to see me move, but why should I do that for them?
Reflection
A cautious drink
Ah, here we go. I found a bunch of those brown spotted bouncy things, and they don't yet smell me. They certainly won't see me until I get much closer, given how poor their eyesight is, especially in low light. Boy oh boy, my mouth is watering!
I spy something delicious
Stalking
Now you see me...
Patience is key. They pretty much need to walk into me for me to have a good chance of catching one. I can sit still for hours, only occasionally inching my way closer to them without making a sound. I have to make sure they don't smell or hear me, either. Their ears are bigger than my paws, and that's saying a lot.
The tiger alarm has been sounded
A sambar getting its feet wet
Drat! One of them sniffed me out and raised the alarm. Now that they're all staring at me, I know I won't catch one. Their stupid spindly legs allow them to bounce away much too quickly, and I'd rather save my energy for a hunt where I have the advantage. It seems I'll go hungry again today, but that's OK. The jungle is still mine, and eventually one of them will make a mistake...
Smug
Blending in
On the prowl
As we observed the park and other visitors, I realized that there is a big danger with "checklists" and "sightings counts." The measure of success for our safaris, according to others around us, was "how many tigers did you see?" At first the question struck me as a little odd - I did not go in specifically to count tigers - but I answered anyway. They would then proceed to tell us how many they had seen, as if we had entered some sort of tiger counting competition. Regardless of anything else, a "good day" was one in which you spotted several tigers.
Exiting Bandhavgarh
Taking flight
Sunset over the valley
Instead, I encourage you to enjoy the interactions between all of the species. Each is unique, bringing depth to the jungle's citizens, and they represent much more than a number can. I would be perfectly happy to watch a couple of tigers interacting for hours rather than spotting fifty tigers by going full speed through the park. I would also prefer to watch langurs playing or a kingfisher fishing than a tiger sleeping in the grass, hoping it will eventually move. Yes, there are langurs everywhere, but that doesn't mean that they are not fun to watch. Besides, I suspect the tigers know when humans are watching and lay low until the coast is clear, so sitting and waiting is only occasionally fruitful.
In the end, you should do what you enjoy. Don't worry about losing the tiger counting competition or failing to complete the bird checklist. Those things don't really matter anyway.
