On the crossroad much before the camp, we spotted some suspicious activity among the bison. Alert and quiet they carried an inspecting look towards the direction we had come from. The snort gives the game away in case the bison or gaur as the animal is called in Hindi. The huge male began to snort fervently and we stopped completely.
Before I could utter Tiger! The predator came into the view. Huge as it was T 67 or Dhamangaon was making his presence in this zone in Kanha. Our guide upon spotting the tiger heading towards the camp knew the movement well and we moved forward a short distance and waited. As the guide had predicted the tiger came down from the elevated ground unto the road some distance before us.
Then the chase began actually as soon as the tiger landed on the jungle road he became busy marking the nearby trees pacing right in front oblivious of our presence. This continued for at least 15 to 20 minutes and I could film the huge beast in our pursuit literarily speaking. Even though the big cats act oblivious of the safari jeep's presence they are quite alert and keep gauging the distance we were at.
Anyway, who would dare to come to a halt as the dominant tiger continued to walk on the road marking his territory here and there on the trees and the bush? Eventually, another jeep arrived before the camp and they could see the huge tiger walking behind us but not for long as the best entered a nearby bush not to come out again.
I was using the camera for the first time and was in movie mode. I could capture the safari live but with a lot of shakes since trepidation had set in a long time before. To this date, I have not edited the video in order to keep the live tiger safari alive in my memory bank.
We encountered T 67 many times as he was the dominant tiger of the zone in Kanha National Park. Once again we experienced a live tiger safari but in another area. By this time he was stressed out by the presence of another rival Sangam Tiger. Nevertheless, he was as aggressive and confident as ever.
The tigers are not maneaters by instinct but can charge when feeling threatened. And you better not experience the charge. Maintain a distance and be safe.
Uday Freelances as Naturalist in Central India. He is an avid birder and tiger enthusiast. He blogs on tigers, wildlife and birds. He also writes on the environment and conservation.
Uday also provides SEO Services and Website Content in English. He teaches Digital Marketing in Jabalpur during Summer Holidays.
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Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com
09755089323
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