A Herd of Wild Asses couldn't keep me away from the Lions, Tigers and Wolves

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks both. You can also see blackbuck around the grounds of Sikandra Palace. Of course they are not wild ones.

 

27^th March – “Roll Up! Roll Up! See the magnificent Asiatic Lion!” (2 minutes later) “Next please!”

We had route 7 which left from the gate right next to the lodge and it wasn't long before we saw a pride of four lions resting by the water trough. They had killed a sambar nearby and had come to have a drink. The trackers were already there directing traffic and so we couldn't stay long. We also hoped to find leopard, so after taking a couple of shots we moved on.

Route 7 was a lovely scenic route which took us along the Kamleshwar Dam to a watchtower where we had magnificent views of the reservoir and surrounding forested hills. We could see locals herding their water buffalo down to the water, accompanied by the odd camel.

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There were signs of leopard everywhere, but sadly the cats proved to be elusive. The birds that we spotted included White-eyed Buzzard, Indian Nightjar, Common Iora, Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Oriental Honey Buzzard and Spoonbill. On the way out a Eurasian Griffon Vulture drifted overhead.

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[kittykat23uk]

After breakfast we took a walk by the river. Leopard tracks were all over the place, but would have been from the previous night or early morning. Women were washing their laundry in the river and an osprey made a sortie in front of a road bridge. A Spotted Owlet hid down a hole as we approached its tree. There were numerous water birds including Purple Heron, Common and Pied Kingfishers, Black-headed and Glossy Ibis.

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When it began to get uncomfortably hot we drove to the souvenir shop. I was hoping they would sell pin badges as I have a few from some of the other tiger parks, but sadly they didn't stock them. So I bought a T-shirt, a fridge magnet and a lovely little book on the park. The book has some excellent images in it, including a shot of a striped hyena carrying a baby, and a lion playing with a Pangolin. Around the shop there are interpretation boards, with some more of these images, including a series of shots of the lion playing with the pangolin as well as the board detailing all the routes.

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After this, we returned to the lodge for lunch and relaxed until our afternoon safari.

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[kittykat23uk]

The afternoon drive was along Route 3. We spent a lot of time looking for leopard and we heard alarm calls a few times which gave us hope that one was in the area. We spotted two Chousingha, but they bounded away before I could get a decent photo.

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P3272577 Chousingha by kittykat23uk, on Flickr

We carried on and spotted a fresh leopard kill of a Chital stag. Most of the stomach area had been eaten, but there still looked to be a lot of meat left on the haunches. There were numerous crows waiting to feed, but they seemed wary of descending so we hoped the leopard might still be around. We waited patiently for a while, and a Crested Hawk Eagle also seemed to be waiting to get his share. Eventually our forest guide got out of the vehicle and walked over for a closer look. He declared that the leopard probably wouldn't return and that we should move on.

As we did so, we saw one of the Gir Rescue Teams and our driver stopped to allow our forest guide to speak to them about the kill. We carried on, hoping that the leopard, having eaten, would then go to the nearest water trough. We waited a long time as Langaurs were barking alarms and the leopard must have been nearby, but sadly he did not appear.

Eventually we had to move on and we came back past the place where the kill was. But the kill had gone! Only crows remained. Then not far away, we saw the rescue vehicle and a few jeeps waiting close by. We couldn't see what was going on. Members of the rescue team were on foot and we were told there were lions. Eventually we were ushered forwards and were able to pull up in front of two lions who were tucking into a Chital stag carcass. A third lioness joined them and after a few snarls from her sister, she was allowed to take her place at the table.

P3272588 Asiatic Lion by kittykat23uk, on Flickr

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This sighting was tightly controlled and frankly felt like being in a safari park at feeding time. Each jeep was allowed only two minutes of viewing time before we were forced to leave. We drove back to the lodge with rather mixed feelings about what we had witnessed.

[kittykat23uk]

It is not due to the recent changes, Lynn reported the same sort of experience last year. The policy is one of habituating the lions to the rangers so that they can be easily treated if required. Which, given the numbers they started with, was probably a good policy at the time as every life would have been precious. However, now that the park is bursting with lions, I would question the need to be so controlling of the sightings and the speed at which they will intervene when a lion is injured. Bear in mind, this is supposed to be a national park where the lions are wild animals. Apparently there used to be "lion shows" in the park but this doesn't happen any more (well I beg to differ!)

 

I can't imagine what the interpretation zone at Devalia is like. In my little handbook it describes this as "412Ha of chain linked fence lion are which is Gir in a nutshell.... it also has a feeding-cum live cage area for carnivores... the main purpose is to provide an opportunity to view lions and other wildlife in a short space of time and to reduce pressure on the park". A zoo, in other words..

[johnkok]

I'll be sure to leave the "zoos" alone

[kittykat23uk]

That's probably for the best! @@johnkok

28^th March - Home time

Our flight back to Mumbai wasn't until the evening, so we had time for a last early morning safari. We took route 4. Lots of leopard tracks were seen again, but again the spotted cat was like a ghost to us, moving through the forest, seen by langaurs and chital who were busily scolding him somewhere nearby.

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A Crested Hawk Eagle posed regally in the golden light. A peacock jumped up onto a dry stone wall. In the last few minutes of our drive, a pride of four lions were seen at one of the water troughs. As we watched them they got up, something had caught their interest further back into the forest and they looked like they were about to hunt, unfortunately they moved off out of sight of us. We departed the park from the gate nearest to the Gir Birding Lodge.


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We had breakfast and lunch at the lodge before departing, allowing for five hours to drive direct to Rajkot. In fact we were at the airport in about 4 hours, so were there by 17.30. Ghany had a train to catch around 17.45 which was a lot earlier than our flight. Our flight wasn't until 20.55 so we had a long time to kill at the airport and there were only a few snacks available from a couple of little kiosks. For those planning to do this route, I would recommend asking your agent to take you to a local restaurant if possible so that you can get dinner before the flight. Although none of us were particularly hungry, it would have made for a nicer end than just hanging around an airport for a few hours.

The flight departed on time and then we all went our separate ways in Mumbai. I left for the Suba Galaxy hotel again, just for a few hours kip before my 7 am flight home. Hari mentioned that those wishing to save some cash (hotels in Mumbai are at least £80 a night) can make use of a lounge area at payment of around 100Rs in international departures.

My flight was with Air India at 7 am on the 29^th. It went off just about on time and I'm happy to say there were none of those incidents for which Air India seems to be coming rather infamous. Ian kindly drove down to pick me up at Heathrow, as it was Good Friday. We got home at about 16.30.

The End


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[michael-ibk]

@@kittykat23uk :

Thank you for this fabulous report, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Your Tadoba experience is just out of this world, I can´t believe the quality and quantity of sightings you had there! (And not only tigers, the park seems to have nice variety with other mammals, too. And you even saw leopards!)Tadoba will definitely see me!

 

I´m not quite sold on Gujarat, though. The Blackbucks are one of the most beautiful antelope species IMO, and wolf sightings must be a thrill, too. The opening times (07:00 - 09:30, 16:00 - 18:30 if I read correctly) are absurdly short, however, and I really can imagine how angry you must have got when park officials weren´t even on time. Sorry you didn´t get to see the hyenas there.

 

Little Rann of Kutch looks interesting, and watching those foxes must have been wonderful. Not sure if I got this, are you free to drive around there as you like or is it a proper park with regulated drive times and routes, too?

 

The lions of Gir are of course magnificent, but again, drive times are very short, and the almost "zoo" character you´re describing doesn´t sound very appealing.

 

So, was it a mixed bag for you, would you rather have gone somewhere else in hindsight or was going to Gujarat as good an experience as you had hoped for in spite of the parks´ management issues?

Edited May 6, 2013 by michael-ibk

[kittykat23uk]

Hi Michael,

 

You sum up quite nicely how I felt. Tadoba was fabulous and I came back desperate to return there again.

 

Gujarat was indeed a mixed bag. The Little Rann was surprisingly good, despite the lack of water and therefore birdlife. Sitting watching the fox cubs was a massive highlight and we were able to stay out for as long as we wanted. There were no camera fees there either. However, You would need to work out with your guide what you want to do as you could easily find yourself returning to the lodge quite early.

 

I am glad I went to Gujarat and did the three sites, just to have got the chance to see the lions and the wolves, the former of which currently can't be seen anywhere else. However, I do not feel that Velavadar showed me it's best and I can only blame bad luck and the unusually dry monsoon, as Lynn went there at the same time last year and saw many more birds and got closer sightings of the wolves and also saw the striped hyenas. It isn't a big reserve either, and wwe checked every den, pipe and hole! So we really did think that three nights would give us an excellent chance of the hyenas.

 

I did find the issue of the camera fees and short game drives very frustrating, although at Blackbuck Lodge, people have seen wolf and hyena on the property and of course the waterhole attracts loads of buck and nilgai.

 

With Gir, I did feel like it was more of a zoo than a wild experience in the way that the forest authorities managed the sightings and that cheapened the experience for me.

 

So I think, good to do once, but I wouldn't look to return to that area.

[Pennyanne]

@@kittykat23uk - Thanks for this great trip report! India is definitely on our list and after our Africa trip this year, either India or South America will likely be the next one.

 

Your report is very informative and will help us making our travel decisions. I think Tadoba is a must, Little Ran appeals also and not sure where else. The rules and regulations at some of the parks with them opening late, delays with camera fees etc. plus very short opening hours and limited driving routes are putting me off as I think we may just get grumpy and frustrated dealing with it all. I also wonder what we would do during the day between the opening hours. Are other activities outside the parks available? We like to be active so not keen on sitting around for the better part of each day.

 

On the other hand we really want to see tigers and other Indian wildlife so will just have to plan carefully to get the best out of the trip. Thanks again for your great report and super photos.

[kittykat23uk]

At Gir you can go birding by the river. At Velavadar we did bird around the lodge grounds and the lodge is situated within the protected area, so in theory the same animals come to the lodge as do in the park. Just watching the blackbuck from the veranda is nice. I am sure if I'd have had the same luck as others who had been, I would have left with a more favourable impression.

[Atravelynn]

Wild asses couldn’t keep me away from your report. But a variety of other factors conspired to do so including an erupting toilet, several hospitalizations of friends/family (unrelated to the toilet), and adding another job to my employment mix. Most importantly those who were ill are recovering, and the other matters are now under control too.

 

In one sentence I have managed to steer this from Kittykat’s India report to Atravelynn’s Woe is Me report.

 

Returning to Tadoba…Congrats on the sloth bear! Do you know how often sloth bears are seen in Tadoba? And then that beautiful young tiger by the lake! Those front view shots of Sher Khan are superb. I have scrolled no further than page 1, the contents of which are sufficient to make me book a several night Tadoba stay.

 

Looking forward to the rest.

[kittykat23uk]

Sorry to hear you've had a rough time of late.

 

Difficult to quantify, but I guess we heard about or from 1 or 2 groups who saw sloth bear after each drive (maybe less, not sure). We only saw one in the 11 drives we had there. They are I guess about as frequent as in Kanha.

[Atravelynn]

It seems as though sloth bears are more common in Tadoba than other Indian parks.

 

Your tigers engaged in such interesting activities for you. Not to mention the drinking leopard. Majesteic sambur! The langur walking across the street with her baby is almost creepy it is so humanlike. The gaur shots are very good. I have found it difficult to get attractive gaur shots. Maybe telling them to stick their tongue out is the key.

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks!

 

The best sighting of sloth bear that I have had was actually on my first safari in India in Ranthambhore. We saw a mother and two cubs. I don't have any photos of them though, I think they got lost in a move. I didn't see any in Corbett, Gir, Bandhavgarh or pench though and the only one I saw in Kanha was obscured and distant in a meadow. Others in our group on the 2009 trip to Kanha and pench also saw sloth bear in Kanha (better views than me!) . I believe Jonathan didn't see any predators in his 30+ drives in Ranthambhore but had excellent views of leopard and sloth bear in Tadoba.

[Atravelynn]

A lactating female with a sore paw is troublesome but all part of a day in the life of a tiger I suppose. The recuperative powers of animals in the wild are amazing.

 

Thanks for the sloth bear info. Your mention of 30 drives and no predators in Ranthambhore would be somewhat disappointing, unless the focus form the outset was birds.

 

It is sad and surprising that a sign is needed stating "stones arouse my anger and cause trouble for you." Duh! Don't throw stones at the monkeys.

 

"The trouble with a lot of Tadoba is that either side of the tracks the teak forest has a dense bamboo understorey, so animals that cross the road are quickly lost in the dense cover. It’s only really around the lakes, waterholes and when an animal decides to walk down the road that one can have a good, clear sighting." Good to note the pros and cons. You certainly had picturesque lakeside tigers in abundance.

[Atravelynn]

Leaping Blackbucks! You had them! It seems the Velavadar rules have gotten stricter. What are the park hours for game drives now? Did I understand that you had to keep moving along the road without stopping? Did you spend time driving in the non-park buffer zone on the same side of the road as Bushbuck Lodge?

 

Maybe you get to this after page 5 in your report, but did you happen to see the habituated Nilgai at Bushbuck Lodge? I think he was called Mr. Booboo.

 

I glimpsed a jungle cat at Velavadar but he posed nicer for you.

[kittykat23uk]

Leaping Blackbucks! You had them! It seems the Velavadar rules have gotten stricter. What are the park hours for game drives now?

 

The hours are 7 am to 9.30 and 16.00 until 18.30.

 

 

Did I understand that you had to keep moving along the road without stopping?

 

Yes unfortunately.

 

Did you spend time driving in the non-park buffer zone on the same side of the road as Bushbuck Lodge?

 

No, it wasn't offered, but we did walk in the area behind the lodge, round the back of the waterhole.

 

Maybe you get to this after page 5 in your report, but did you happen to see the habituated Nilgai at Bushbuck Lodge? I think he was called Mr. Booboo.

 

We saw a young one right by the restaurant on our last day which seemed very tame. Not sure if it was Booboo.

 

I glimpsed a jungle cat at Velavadar but he posed nicer for you.

[Atravelynn]

Thanks for the responses to the questions. While you saw and photographed loads, the situation is not as amenable to viewing or photography as it was just a short time ago.

 

Mr. Booboo would not be very young anymore. He was a getting big already in March of 2012. The nilgai you saw must have been a different one.

Edited June 2, 2013 by Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

"a group had been out in a gypsy and had encountered the owner of the pugmarks, a rather angry tiger who had charged their jeep and stopped short with his front paws up on the bonnet of the vehicle!"

 

Much as I appreciate closeups, that would be too close for me. Yikes!

 

I just saw the young nilgai and it is not Mr. Booboo.

[kittykat23uk]

Well, Despite the problems with the park rules, I would probably have left Velavader with a much more positive impression had we achieved a good sighting of hyena and closer/longer sighting of wolf. We just seemed to be very unlucky with the hyenas. But the rules, expensive accommodation and camera fees do put me off from retuning and I am more likely to search out hyena elsewhere, maybe in Africa- not sure what other striped hyena hotspots there are..?

 

I wanted to see the Indian subspecies of wolf and I am glad I did. But I will more likely return to Yellowstone for wolf than here. I would also like to go to Tibet sometime to see wolf there.

 

Gir was about what I expected. I wanted to see asiatic lions, i did see them. It would have been nice to have seen young cubs or more leopard, but at least we had our leopard in Tadoba. it was one to do once but I wouldn't plan a return trip there. IMHO there are much wilder experiences to be had with lions in Zimbabwe. If some lions are moved out of Gir and allowed to become more wild, with less pressure to move on after just a few mins, then I might see them again. As tourists we can't take advantage of the tameness of the asiatic lions by walking up to them, despite the forest guides and out own naturalist guides doing exactly that. Frustrating!

 

Little Rann was surprisingly good, despite not seeing the big flocks of flamingos and cranes on the pans, as they were dry. The foxes were a real highlight. No camera fees and no set drive times were a big plus there. But again, done it once, probably won't return unless as part of a group.

 

One thing I was very surprised I didn't see was macaques!

 

There are still many places I want to visit or return to like Kabini, Tadoba, Kanha, kaziranga, Pangot, Chambal, bharatpur. Also, there was recently a documentary about leopards in India and there was this place where leopards sat out in huge numbers on boulders. I would really like to find out where that is and go there!

[Atravelynn]

 

Is the the visual depiction of ROFLMAO?

 

 

P3245355conv by kittykat23uk, on Flickr

 

[Atravelynn]

Your Demoiselle Cranes is just lovely. The stills are great but the video really shows them group and regrouping in attractive and thoughtful formations.

 

Wolf pups had to be a rare sighting. Way to go. Speaking of rare, what did your guides say about 7 snow leopard sightings in one day. Now that has to be a record!

 

The peacock is still strutting around Rann Riders I see. We had some long conversations on the long couches.

 

Whoa! Those plum headed parakeets are fantastic!

 

I know what you mean about harsh light with the wild asses. It was harsh even at 8:30 or 9:00 am.

 

Was that male lion winking at you?

 

Killer sunset shot for an ending!

 

Park times, Velavadar: 07:00 - 09:30, 16:00 - 18:30. While, more limited than some places might that help protect the animals? The camera fees were a bit much in Velavadar and Gir at $10 per camera per drive in Gir and $10 per camera per day in Velavadar.

 

You have a wonderful report for yourself and others considering a similar itinerary.

[kittykat23uk]

Your Demoiselle Cranes is just lovely. The stills are great but the video really shows them group and regrouping in attractive and thoughtful formations.

 

Thanks, they certainly were a sight to behold!

 

Wolf pups had to be a rare sighting. Way to go. Speaking of rare, what did your guides say about 7 snow leopard sightings in one day. Now that has to be a record!

 

We were all very impressed, it was the two guests Toril and Peter who saw them, Ghany was not on the same tour, he was with us at Velavadar. We joined them at little Rann.

 

The peacock is still strutting around Rann Riders I see. We had some long conversations on the long couches.

 

Yes still causing havoc!

 

 

Whoa! Those plum headed parakeets are fantastic!

 

Yes I got this photo printed in one of my books, I made two for this trip, one on Tadoba and one on Gujarat. They really stand out against the drab background.

 

I know what you mean about harsh light with the wild asses. It was harsh even at 8:30 or 9:00 am.

 

Was that male lion winking at you?

 

I think he might have been!

 

Killer sunset shot for an ending!

 

Thanks!

 

Park times, Velavadar: 07:00 - 09:30, 16:00 - 18:30. While, more limited than some places might that help protect the animals? The camera fees were a bit much in Velavadar and Gir at $10 per camera per drive in Gir and $10 per camera per day in Velavadar.

 

I think it's been done because the staff can't be bothered running it to be honest. The park didn't seem at all busy. There were only a couple of vehicles.

 

You have a wonderful report for yourself and others considering a similar itinerary.

[Atravelynn]

Only a couple of Velavadar vehicles when I was there too. And no offroading. Another hour or two wouldn't hurt. I have to say we were allowed another 20 minutes after closing time, at the request of my guide, to try to locate a hyena.

[Kitsafari]

I just finished reading the wonderful TR. the photos are stunning. just seeing the tigers made my heart go thumping so hard. just magnificent. and those gorgeous foxes, lions and the delightful wild asses! @@kittykat23uk, you've just revived my desire to go to India. four years ago, i thought of doing a trip to one of the Indian tiger parks but arranging on my own and the logistics looked impossible! now with your advice and others' as well, it'll be smoother.

 

thanks so much for sharing. Awesome.