I was on a 2 week packaged tour in and out of Delhi, in which we went to Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh and Kanha Tiger reserves; more on that in a mo.
We passed through Bharatpur one morning for a couple of hours, so I asked for a guide who really knew his stuff at Keoladeo.
If you ever go there, I whole heartedly recommend asking for Brijendra, who knows everything there is to know about the place. It was a privilege to spend time with him, he knows the place inside out and having birded there for over 30 years is totally passionate about it. I have his email if anyone ever needs it. He does research work for BNHS.
In 2 1/2 hours total from entering at the park gate to leaving, we saw a wide variety of species, the highlights of which were 4 species of owl, Brown Headed Barbet, Black Bittern, 3 eagle species, Black Necked Stork and Siberian Rubythroat. I look forward to going back there again and meeting up with Brijendra to spend a decent amount of time there.
Now this next thought is totally subjective, but I thought I'd write it anyway. This is only based on my experience in 1 trip, but I find myself questioning the stated number of Tigers on reserves. We did 6 game drives at Bandhavgarh over 4 days, and in the whole time we were there, there wasn't a single tiger sighting by anyone. I know this is totally un-scientific, but one cant help but question the validity of the stated figure of 59 resident Tigers. At Kanha we did 3 game drives and didnt see a Tiger, though we did hear 1, and another group did spot one; here there are stated to be around 100 Tigers. I know they're not easy to see, but one can't help feel concerned about how accurate the numbers are, and whether the truth is being told. We are only too aware of the fact that Tigers are in enormous trouble, but perhaps the situation is worse than is being let on. Obviously even lower numbers means even more problems with in breeding etc.
We were all surpised at how little prey species we saw in the parks, and it was interesting to see a photo at the recent Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, which showed a Tiger going through a cut fence at Bandhavgarh, stating the fence had been cut to allow the Tigers to roam because of the lack of prey species in the park. This is surely of great concern as a management strategy?
I have heard there is a Tiger count to take place, and one hopes that this will be completed by an independent body who's only agenda is the preservation of the species.
As I said, these comments are purely my feelings based on a limited trip, but it would be interesting to hear other thoughts.
We passed through Bharatpur one morning for a couple of hours, so I asked for a guide who really knew his stuff at Keoladeo.
If you ever go there, I whole heartedly recommend asking for Brijendra, who knows everything there is to know about the place. It was a privilege to spend time with him, he knows the place inside out and having birded there for over 30 years is totally passionate about it. I have his email if anyone ever needs it. He does research work for BNHS.
In 2 1/2 hours total from entering at the park gate to leaving, we saw a wide variety of species, the highlights of which were 4 species of owl, Brown Headed Barbet, Black Bittern, 3 eagle species, Black Necked Stork and Siberian Rubythroat. I look forward to going back there again and meeting up with Brijendra to spend a decent amount of time there.
Now this next thought is totally subjective, but I thought I'd write it anyway. This is only based on my experience in 1 trip, but I find myself questioning the stated number of Tigers on reserves. We did 6 game drives at Bandhavgarh over 4 days, and in the whole time we were there, there wasn't a single tiger sighting by anyone. I know this is totally un-scientific, but one cant help but question the validity of the stated figure of 59 resident Tigers. At Kanha we did 3 game drives and didnt see a Tiger, though we did hear 1, and another group did spot one; here there are stated to be around 100 Tigers. I know they're not easy to see, but one can't help feel concerned about how accurate the numbers are, and whether the truth is being told. We are only too aware of the fact that Tigers are in enormous trouble, but perhaps the situation is worse than is being let on. Obviously even lower numbers means even more problems with in breeding etc.
We were all surpised at how little prey species we saw in the parks, and it was interesting to see a photo at the recent Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, which showed a Tiger going through a cut fence at Bandhavgarh, stating the fence had been cut to allow the Tigers to roam because of the lack of prey species in the park. This is surely of great concern as a management strategy?
I have heard there is a Tiger count to take place, and one hopes that this will be completed by an independent body who's only agenda is the preservation of the species.
As I said, these comments are purely my feelings based on a limited trip, but it would be interesting to hear other thoughts.
