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Published: March 9th 2009
13th January 2009.
We had a 7:30am breakfast, said our goodbyes and hit the road. The roads were better but not by much. The journey to Shimoga took eight sweating and cramped hours. We did manage to get a little sleep along the way but we were all relieved to finally arrived in the city. We found our hotel, and unpacked in our 900Rs room before heading out to find the Tiger Rehabilitation Reserve. After a lot of question asking we found the Reserve but it turned out to be another Government run place with very little information available. The reserve was set up to relocate man-eating Tigers and the very rare Asiatic Lions. The pressure of the local human population destroying the jungles and killing the game has lead to the inevitable problem that the big cat population are struggling to find food, therefore occasionally taking a worker in the fields and villages. Thankfully the government instead of destroying these rare cats are instead capturing them and placing them in a secure park and this is what we were here to see.
This place is not in any of the tourist guide and only allows a certain amount
of visitors, mostly of Indian origin. We managed to find out that a tour was already planned for tomorrow morning at 10am, perfect. Contented we headed back to the city to find a resturaunt.
Walking through the city we found ourselves the center of attention from the inhabitants. Cars and buses were slowing downing and strangers were coming to meet us. The sight of two gorgeous white women and a long haired white guy was fascinating to the locals. Western tourists never tend to explore this part of India and we were a very interesting sight it seemed. It was a little unnerving but everybody was very friendly, even the staff in the resturaunt we chose stood around us and just stared. We felt like visiting movie stars. We had our meal which to be honest was no more than average, a couple of beers which Edmond also joined in with and which helped him come out of his shell a little. He even at one point started telling us very poor jokes, David also threw a couple in which also fell very flat. The Indian sense of humour seems to be very adolescent even a little Benny Hill
who I always thought was very overrated.
After our meal we headed back to the hotel bar for a couple of drinks and then retired early, in fact too early for me and the girls realised this and took pity on me and invited me back to their room to watch ‘Pulp Fiction’.
14th January 2009
We all met in the Hotel resturaunt at 7am for tea, toast and I tried a typical India breakfast of stuffed Dosa which is basically a rolled pancake with a spicy potato filling. It was very good but not quite what I’m used to for breakfast!
By 9am we were outside the Tiger & Lion sanctuary. This place has been set up to save displaced cats that usually have turned man-eaters because of the pressures created by mans encroachment into the animals habitat. I was pleased to see that people are finally recognising that when these animals turn man-eater its not because they have developed a taste for human flesh, it is because the natural prey is depleted in the wild and these top predators are just hungry and are trying to survive. It’s a good thing we don’t kill
Shimoga at night
We'd just been mobbed like rock starshuman for being hungry, especially in India!!!
We board our mini bus that is surrounded by a reinforced cage and head out into the reserve. The first cats we encounter are a male and female Asiatic Lion. Most people do not realise India has a native Lion. It’s slightly smaller than its African cousin and highly endangered. The population of this secretive cat is much lower than India’s Bengal Tiger and I fear because of lack of awareness in the next decade it will be gone altogether. I felt very privileged and yet sad to be in its presence.
We then encounter several Bengal Tigers. The first were a couple of large males that were being kept separate from the females and younger cats in a large caged compound. The Alfa males have a tendency to kill the young of other males and then mate with the females so guaranteeing the continuation of their personal genetic line. This is natural selection at work (survival of the fitess) and has existed forever and guarantees a strong gene pool. Of course with such a low population of this species every animal is important so human intervention is necessary to help
undo the damage we’ve done as a species. Artificial insemination is now the practise until the population starts to recover.
After the encounter with the impressive males we come across a female and a one year old cub near a water hole. I can’t contain myself any longer and plead with the driver to open the van doors for me so that I can lean out and get good pictures. The Tigers come within 10-15ft of the van as I hang out with my camera. Adrenaline pumps through my body and as I’m clicking away I wonder if the photos I’m taking will be of any use as I can feel the nervous energy shaking my whole body. Fortunately I get great shots but only after I agree that if I get attached the responsibility is on my own head. This is a once in a lifetime chance and I was determined to make the most of it. I was confident that I understand animal behaviour well enough to recognise the attach signals and be able to retreat in time if attach was imminent. Pili and Valerie are safely inside the mini bus and Pili gets some great film.
After our short but thrilling safari we are told that there is also a small zoo in the park, about a 10 minute walk from the car park. Straight away I was suspicious; I’ve heard lots of horror stories about zoos in this part of the World, especially ones not on the regular tourist route. My fears were all confirmed. We found Leopards, Hyenas and Sloth Bears in concrete cells with no water, food or stimulus of any kind. The animals were clearly in distress, they even had a crocodile WITH NO WATER!!! I didn’t actually see this myself as I’d retreated very upset, the girls told me about it. I insisted that we leave NOW! What a shame that after a great experience with the Tiger it was ruined with this barbaric Zoo. I gave my word to expose this animal prison to the authorities, this is not conservation in any way, this is just exploitation and it is my duty to expose it every time it is encountered.
We left with very mixed emotions. My initial disgust had now turned to anger and I felt like confronting the owners of the zoo but I realised that
they probably didn’t speak English. Frustrated we all climb aboard our taxi a start a long and tedious journey to our final destination on our schedule The Jog Falls which have the claim of being the highest waterfalls in India.
By the time we arrive it was mid afternoon. The place was teaming with Indian tourist and we immediately we attracted lots of attention again just like in Shimoga. We all pose with groups of Indians for photos. Our driver Edmond was clearly embarrassed for us and was losing his temper with some of the more insistent photo opportunists. We didn’t really mind, if fact we found it quite funny.
The falls were a bit of a disappointment because of the lack of water. We were told that a dam upstream had depleted the water flow and that only in the monsoons were the falls at their best. Never mind, it was just nice to get out of the bloody taxi and stretch our legs and ease our sore backs.
We still had a least another five hours journey home so we all piled into the taxi. We did stop for lunch in a place called Karwar,
it wasn’t up to much and the owner didn’t want us there, I think he wanted to shut the resturaunt early and go home.
I forgot to mention on the way through the Ghats we saw several lorries and other vehicles hanging off cliffs of just abandoned. On the returned journey we came across a bus that we had passed two days before, it was a total right off. Whatever happened to it we didn’t find out, I’d be amazed if anybody walked away from it alive though.
We arrived back at David’s at 8:30pm, we were going to have an early night but after showering the girls wanted to go down to Bobbies Sports bar for a few drinks and to celebrate surviving the road trip. Things dragged on a little and we didn’t get to our beds until 2:30am.
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