Tiger Reserve by N
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ADVENTURE Striped felines of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve By N. Shiva Kumar By N. Shiva Kumar Tiger Travel: the massive tiger negotiating a natural trench to ensure that its home area is not encroached by intruders RACKING a tiger in Tigers, however, are terrific wander around water bodies. Tthe wild timberland is in their tactical demeanour Even forest foliage, including a tantalising task and with as they are in total control of ground vegetation, dwindles to tenacity to see the big cat in their temperament despite a bare minimum making tiger the jungles, I set out for an high temperatures. To beat the detection easier than usual. adrenaline-rush-adventure heat, they are either in slumber Tackling a tiger in its to Ranthambhore Tiger at secluded forest patches or kingdom on undulating Reserve (RTR). The scorching plonked in pools waiting for topography is often a game of tropical Indian summer heat nightfall to negotiate terrain in immense patience. The heat and was hovering at 42-degree their territory. Serious wildlife dust in summer and chilling centigrade, blazing hot as enthusiasts prefer summer weather in winters add to the if the forest was on fire, but trips as it is comparatively challenge of chasing hidden it was no deterrent for me. easier to locate a tiger as they tigers in Ranthambhore Tiger 52 TASHI DELEK September-October, 2018 Company Tashi Delek_Sept-Oct, Inside Pages, 2018.indd 52 25-Aug-18 1:46:58 PM ADVENTURE Rufous Tree pie: also called the ‘tiger’s toothpick’ the Rufous tree pie is a energetic but beautiful bird belonging to the crow family Grey Francolin: this partridge is a plump, squat, almost tail-less brown bird with buff pattern on its wings for camouflage Jungle Babbler: a boisterous birds mostly moving in small groups in the undergrowth searching vegetation for insects Reserve. Regular tourists treat opportunities for viewing the hyena, mongoose, snakes and a tiger with curiosity, while magnificent tiger in the wild. a variety of birds. The elusive first-timers are scared at the They live in a lavish landscape Indian wolf, too, has also been thought of seeing a wild tiger with a heady mix of rolling spotted on some occasions. from an open vehicle. Tiger hills, rocky cliffs, meandering Once, the royal hunting watching is like an addiction meadows, streams and lakes grounds of Indian maharajas to many and I am one of them which is also home to a and later of the British, tigers who are always eager, wanting diversity of flora and fauna. were killed for pleasure at to taste the thunder and shoot Apart from the terrific tiger, one Ranthambhore. This stretch of photographs as the big cats can also spot secretive leopards, jungle was declared as Tiger embark on their activities. rare caracal cat, clumsy sloth Reserve with the intention It’s even more pleasurable if bear, crocodiles, jackal, fox, of safeguarding the supreme a tiger mother is with cubs or independent grownup siblings playing pranks with each other in the lake. Snugly located 14 km from the town of Sawai Madhopur, 150 km from the city of Jaipur and 400 km from New Delhi in the arid Rajasthan state of western India, Ranthambhore is an oasis in the desert. Located at the junction of geologically oldest mountain ranges - Aravallis and Vindyas, Sambar deer: heavily built, the male Sambar deer has large antlers for safeguarding its harem Ranthambhore offers premium September-October, 2018 TASHI DELEK 53 Company Tashi Delek_Sept-Oct, Inside Pages, 2018.indd 53 25-Aug-18 1:47:22 PM ADVENTURE Ranthambhore topography: with a hill fort in the background the lavish landscape of Ranthambhore is mesmerising cats that have been vanishing Zoo, demanded safety for the the villages were moved out across the Indian subcontinent beleaguered tigers. Fortunately, and tigers began to move in. due to poaching and public Fateh Singh Rathore, a In 1980, Prime Minister Rajiv encroachments. The ambitious passionate forester fostered Gandhi, who was a regular Project Tiger was launched in this forest to its pristine self guest, made Ranthambhore 1973 to preserve the dwindling by preparing a perfect plan National Park famous as a population and this started for protection of jungles. This wildlife destination for tourists in earnest and woodland involved shifting of 20 villages wanting to see the tiger. wealth in Ranthambhore from inside the park and The tropical tapestry of regained its original vigour. convincingly rehabilitating jungles in Ranthambhore Surprisingly aquifers in the area rustic folk by 1976-77 when all provides enough prey for began to replenish and water tables increased much to the advantage of the surrounding villagers. Even now, the difference in the ecology inside Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve and outside is staggeringly evident to visitors to the park. The government of India used to issue hunting permits until 1969, but Indira Gandhi, former Indian Prime Minister, Spotted deer: mother and daughter deer are and Kailash Sankhala, the always on alter for fear of predators. They are also called Chital then Director of the Delhi 54 TASHI DELEK September-October, 2018 Company Tashi Delek_Sept-Oct, Inside Pages, 2018.indd 54 25-Aug-18 1:47:44 PM ADVENTURE become a natural breeding hub Nilgai antelope: an athletic antelope, the horse- like male stands tall at five feet with steel grey for wild tigers. The increasing colouration hence is also called as blue-bull number is one of the reasons that tigers seem to spill over from the designated boundaries of the Tiger reserve. Bountiful breeding of tigers have helped select young adults to be shifted, literally airlifted, to nearby wildlife sanctuaries where tigers have disappeared due to poaching or poisoning. As in the case of Sariska national park which is about 170 km from Ranthambhore, tigers were reintroduced and are prospering with offspring. tigers in the form of the dainty count, says Y.K. Sahu, Chief Today, Ranthambhore Tiger spotted deer (Chital), bulky Conservator of Forests, Wildlife Reserve sprawling over ,700 Sambar deer, hefty horse-like and Field Director, Project sq km is one of the greatest Nilgai (blue-bull) antelope, Tiger Ranthambhore. Tigers, success stories of wildlife Rhesus macaque, Langur in general, give birth to a conservation in the world. monkeys etc. Even basking litter of two to four of which Tigers are mostly loners and crocodiles in the three lakes one or two tend to survive designed to dominate, however, of Ranthambhore have been to adulthood, and all four they come together to mate. hunted by a certain courageous survive if the mother is a good In recent years, Tigers have tiger which is considered rare. hunter. Because the survival been treating tourists with Tigers also manage to kill a rate is high, Ranthambhore has interesting encounters and wild boar and wild bear if they get a chance to run them down but their preference to monkey meat is evident. As ample prey animals thrive in the jungles of Ranthambhore, tigers are generally healthy and wealthy to trigger regular breeding with prolific progeny. Currently, the tiger population is 25 males and 25 females with 15 cubs in Tiger Tourists: hoards of foreign and Indian tourists in open jeeps eagerly waiting for the tow. However, cubs are not tiger to emerge from the tall trees included in the population September-October, 2018 TASHI DELEK 55 Company Tashi Delek_Sept-Oct, Inside Pages, 2018.indd 55 25-Aug-18 1:48:09 PM ADVENTURE Rolling Landscape: a stream flows between hills and dales in the scenery of Ranthambhore Nilgai antelope: a female Nilgai antelope is differently coloured than the male with brown skin and dainty looks some have become legendary is steered by a driver and of fresh air, go to see the cool in their demeanour and daily guide to ply on allotted routes cat and it will elevate you to an catwalks. Numerous books from 1 to 10 going to different enchanting engagement. and documentary films zones that are conducted in When I am blunted by the have been produced on the mornings and evenings. Lucky daily drudgery of the corporate famous tigers and tigresses tourists can have fleeting world, you can find me roaming that thrive in Ranthambhore. glimpses or long encounters in Ranthambhore indulging in Correspondingly, the number with tigers, while others may the ingredients where the tigers of budget and luxury hotels come back disappointed, so flourish. has cropped up to cater to the make sure to take more trips growing tiger tourism. Many for better sightings. For those All photographs by N. Shiva modern conservation initiatives who think travel is more than kumar taken by the strong 365 strong visiting new landscapes, there workforce of forest department are premium trips of half-day N. SHIVA KUMAR is have increased the inflow of and full-day tours by jeeps for an independent scribe and trigger-happy pho- Indian and foreign tourists to tourists with the freedom to go tographer focussed on a 490,842. This has brought across any zone from 1 to 10 wilderness, wanderlust and ancient monu- annual returns of Rs 337,728,080 inside the Ranthambhore Tiger ments. He has published 700 ar- for 2017-18 which is way ahead Reserve. Tourism provides ticles embellished with 1000 photographs in print media including an award-winning of all other national parks and economic imperative and best coffee-table book on Ecology. He has sanctuaries in India. reason for protecting Tigers, choreographed five international photo exhibitions and held two solo Photo-exhi- On any given day, at the in the process, we invariably bitions in New Delhi on Birds and Asiatic crack of dawn, a long line of protect the ‘ecological services’ Lions.