Since no private vehicles are allowed inside the park we had to leave our trusted Fortuner outside. Armed with our Canons we hopped into topless jeeps which at times even seemed suspension-less. As we entered the forest we were enthralled by the calm natural surrounding, away from the tentacles of mobile signals and technology, like a speck in the vast landscape, mesmerised by the sounds of innumerable species of birds and insects. Soon we were greeted by a bunch of langurs who were busy with their daily business of creating a lot of ruckus. Home to the Royal Bengal tiger, Ranthamborealso shelters leopards, striped hyenas, jackals and sloth bear. It also has a healthy prey base for the tiger to survive with a variety of animals like the blue bulls, chinkaras and sambar along with wild boars, porcupines and hares. Sanjay and Uncle Ronnie started to capture every wild animal and bird that we encountered. It wasn’t until we felt the nip in the air that we realised that the sun was setting fast and the closest thing we saw to a tiger was a few fresh pug-marks. Unfortunately, we had to call it a day.
By way of consolation we got a chance to meet Mr R. S. Shekhawat, District Forest Officer (DFO), Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. He squeezed time out of his busy schedule for us. We realised that November was not the best time for tiger sightings due to the thick undergrowth and tall grass. He offered to take us personally around the park and we jumped at the offer.
Next morning we were in Mr Shekhawat’s jeep, driving over four feet tall grass in the core areas of the park, searching for the Ranthambore royals. Being an avid photographer, Mr Shekhawat was incidentally carrying a Canon as well and hence we got ample opportunities for photography. Uncle and Sanjay weren’t complaining. In fact, Mr Shekhawat also shared some of his tiger photographs with us, which we have used in this article. We saw crocodiles basking in the sun near the lakes, wild boars trotting around but the big cat remained elusive as if it was testing our patience. After hours of driving we heard a tiger but couldn’t spot one.
We thanked Mr Shekhawat and were already preparing for the afternoon safari, probably our last during this trip. Back on the rented jeep we sifted the forest, heard
several deer raise the tiger alarm, saw more pugs but no tigers. To be honest, my heart began to sink. It was as if tigers wanted to send a message to us – ‘If you humans don’t act now, there will be no tiger sightings at all, not even in a dedicated sanctuary.’ We were ready to give up and head back to Pune. Suddenly, a guide
from another jeep informed us about some ‘movement’ in the other part of the sanctuary. Without wasting time we reached the spot. What followed was an experience all three of us
will remember for a very long time
to come.
