Whenever I go to the jungle I am stuck by the enthusiasm of the naturalists. I mean, how many people you know who are in their twenties and they wish to work away from the civilization where the nearest cinema might be 70 kilometers away? As I visited three national parks within a month I interacted with a lot of naturalists including Sangita S. Mani the woman naturalist at Taj Safaris. As they go the forest almost every day of the week I often ask then what have been their best wildlife sightings. Their answers amaze me. Here are three stories that amazed me, two from Madhya Pradesh and one from South Africa.
3. Falling Monkeys: Prayatna is a naturalist with Pugdundee Safaris. When I asked him what was his best sighting he told me he once saw a monkey dropping off from a tree because of the fear of a tiger. A tiger was standing beneath the tree, that itself made the monkey so nervous that he fell off. The tiger simply picked it up and walked away!
2. Too Close for Comfort: I was having a chat with Motiram ji at Pench National Park. When I asked him what was his best sighting he mentioned that one day he was driving with another Taj Safaris naturalist Koshtuba. They expected a tiger crossing and accordingly parked their jeep. In other words just what I witnessed this time. Only that tiger had other ideas. Apparently it was marking territory and the jeep was parked next to the tree it wanted to scratch. So it stopped next to the jeep and started sniffing on the driver side! I was told that Koshtuba almost jumped into Motiram ji’s lap. I asked how long did this last? Motiram ji’s estimate was a few minutes but those minutes he said felt really long, they wanted it to end. There was another Taj jeep parked a little away from this scene and they were happily clicking pictures of the people in the stricken jeep. Now this is the kind of sighting I would not like to have!
1. A Pitched Battle: When I asked my South African Safari guides Patrick and Erick about their best sightings, they told me another fascinating story. They said one day there were 7-8 lions at the back of the lodge (as you see in the picture aobe) and they had cornered a Cape Buffalo. However, 10-11 Cape Buffaloes arrived hearing the distress call of their mate and a battle followed. Erick said there were children at the lodge and they hated the cry of the buffalo under attack (I suspect so will I) so he had to take them to Manor House, another accommodation with the Tintswalo Lodges which was five minutes drive. I could see how disappointed he was for missing the action. He said it went on for a few hours but in the end the buffaloes didn’t let the lions carry away the injured bull. The bull later died of the injuries though.
And here I am who thinks just sighting these cats makes for an amazing wildlife sighting! What do you say? What has been your most exciting wildlife sighting?
nice anecodotes.
Thank you Abhijit.
Wonderful experiences! Thanks for asking them and sharing with us!
Thank you Sindhu.
What amazing experiences!
Thank you Lady Fi.
First of all, congrats on sighting a tiger! Great pictures! Loved the story too, I wish I experience something like you did!
Thank you Renuka. If you keep going to the jungle I am sure one day the tiger will come out!
Loved it Mridula….AWESOME this was!
Thank you Shilpi.
Amazing stories. I really likes it so much that I have shared it.
Also, as far as I remember, I have seen the video of the last story in you tube, perhaps pretty common but again loved the way you describe it.
I am also aspiring to have such experiences in life. Hope will get 1 day…
When spotting a tiger makes me so happy, don’t know where I will be after spotting such interesting stories
Rachit many thanks for sharing. So kind of you. And my best wishes for your trips.
Absolutely Amazing experiences…
I have often wondered why people are fascinated by the wild. I would feel safe cozy and settled at home. But these experiences explain why…the thrill, the adrenaline rush..memories that last…
Thanks for the post..
Preethi I wonder if I will ever be content again to sit at home, after all my travel lust is not too old!
3 of the best wildlife sighting stories Indeed.
I wonder how watching/experiencing them must have felt. Something which can not be described I guess.
Very well written Mridula!:)
Thank you so much Nikhil. My motto was so what if I can’t see a tiger, I can hear to what others have to say!
Very good post and reminds me of my most exciting sighting of the Scarface of Bandipur. This tiger with a big scar of his face was marking his territory in Bandipur, when he came so close that we could look in each others eyes for a few seconds, before he decided I am not appetizing enough and moved on.
Thank God for that Prasad, imagine what would happen if he thought otherwise! 😀
if I were in the second situation, the first situation would have followed immediately. 😉
Ha ha ha I am sure this is true for many of us though we would never know till we face it!
awesome experience.. 🙂
Thank you Rat, people did narrate their awesome experiences to me!
Now these are what you call wildlife encounters. Wow!!
I agree Niranjan! But then they go to the jungle much more than we do!
wonderful, Mridula. these are the kind of experiences which make for wonderful memories and retellings! the nearest i have come to a wild encounter was when an elephant almost charged at our jeep when we were on safari at K Gudi in karnataka. that, and spotting a leopard in the wild, though just a glimpse, and walking to see a lion, again at gir, are my best memories so far of the wild.
Anu I agree these make for such wonderful memories. Did they let you walk to see a lion in the park? I thought you could not get down from the vehicle.