Where Indian Wild Things Grow

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After countless forts, palaces and temples, we decided that we needed something more 'natural' in India. As a result, we spent several days in two national parks in Rajasthan searching for critters. Both parks used to be private hunting grounds for the local maharajas, but with their demise, the areas have been protected and the animals have had a chance to flourish.

Our first stop was Keoladeo NP which is renowned for its birdwatching and a place where the deer and antelope play. We also spotted snakes, jackals, multiple big birds (not the yellow kind) and one wildcat (it looked a lot like Ty). The benign nature of the park's beasts allowed us to hike and bike for two days on our own, which was a nice reprieve from the Indian city.

The second park was Ranthambore NP which has more physical beauty than Keoladeo, but more importantly, it has the elusive big cats. We 'cantered' (open top army trucks) around the park on three separate safaris to get up close and personal with some tigers. We saw birds, deer and antelope, as well as a very rare leopard (sorry, no photos, it was spooked by the applauding tourists). But our luck with the big orange striped critter eluded us. We'll just have to celebrate the year of the tiger back home with our big feline friends.

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Photos

Rise Up
Some of the local boys walking back to their villages through the park.

Proud Parakeets
These two parakeets had just scared away a lizard from their nest by grabbing the lizard's tail with their beaks. Their screeching also probably helped.

Blue Bull
Never did get a glimpse of blue.