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Published: March 16th 2012
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Corbett National Park is a famous reserve that was established in 1936 as India’s first national park, named after the English tiger hunter Jim Corbett. He was considered a hero by the locals for shooting tigers that had developed a taste for humans. In the end, he shot more wildlife with his camera than his gun.
When Jim Corbett, the naturalist first sounded the alarm in the 1930s that tigers would become a threatened animal, no one believed him. At the time, it was estimated that there were well over 40 000 tigers in India. When Independence occurred in India, many villagers came to own guns for the first time and many of these villagers pushed into formerly restricted hunting reserves to hunt for highly profitable tiger skins. By the time a census was conducted in 1972, there were only 1 800 tigers left and international outrage encouraged Indira Gandhi to make the tiger the national symbol of India and set up Project Tiger. This project has established 39 reserves totaling over 32 000 sq. km that protect not only the tiger but all the other species within the reserves. After initial success, the tiger population increased but again has
plummeted from 3 600 in 2002 to a new low of 1 500 due to relentless poaching. Another $153 million has been devoted to the effort to help stop this downward spiral towards extinction.
The best time to see tigers here is between April and June but guess what? I was very, very, very lucky to see a tiger as she crossed a dry river bed and even looked back to tease us. Not only was the group I was with fortunate enough to spot a tiger but we also saw languor monkeys, peacocks, deer including chital (spotted deer) and sambars ( a larger type of deer). As my jeep was leaving the park, I spotted a group of seven wild elephants among the elephant grass and another elephant coming down a hill to join the others. There are only 200-300 that live in the reserve. Seeing that elephant come down the hill was even more impressive for me than seeing the tiger simply because of the enormous size (3 000 kg) of this creature and feeling the ground vibrate as it made its way to the pack of elephants. It was an awesome sight that I will never
forget.
From India we made our way to Nepal to visit another game park, Bardia National Park but not before we made a stop for our first and only wild bush camp. This type of camping has absolutely no modern amenities. You set up camp in the middle of nowhere, or so we thought. The site we chose was actually quite serene and beautiful. It was a sandy, slightly grassy area surrounded by trees and tall grasses. As soon as we set up camp, it seemed as though people actually came out of the woods appearing from nowhere on three wheelers, motorcycles and jeeps. One group of men warned us that this site was an elephant path and that it was not safe for us to remain. Our experienced leaders who had travelled to Africa many times were certain that this site was safe since there were absolutely no signs of an elephant passing along this way recently. The proof is in the pudding or should I say the droppings. There were none in sight so it was deemed a safe area to make camp for the night. It was a beautiful warm evening. We prepared a fine meal,
a veggie stir fry and even set up a campfire. Thanks to a fellow traveler who had found marshmallows in Shimla we even roasted them under the moonlight. As the evening got late 9:30pm, most of us had gone to sleep. Just minutes after I had my first bush pee and was heading back to the campfire, a speeding jeep showed up. The jeep stopped just centimetres from the tent of one of the campers and out stepped six men in uniform yielding shotguns and huge flashlights - the local police. We were asked to leave the site immediately or we would be arrested. Scenes from the film The Midnight Express went through my mind. Yes, I am aware that the film took place in Turkey. I was really scared because they were really aggressive and shouting. Our tour leader asked if there was a “fee” for camping overnight to which the leader of the squad quickly replied shouting, “NO, you must go now!” So we packed up camp in record time and scurried into the truck in search of accommodation for the night. We found a “hotel” close by but truly I preferred the bush camp site to this
“hotel”. The campsite was cleaner, bush pees and all considered.
The next morning we headed for the Nepal border and our next game park, Bardia National Park. While in Bardia, we stayed at a camp ground but upgraded to a guesthouse because the village is in the path of elephants. Elephants migrate long distances in search of food and follow ancestral paths that are now occupied by villages and farms. In fact, there was a sign posted in the room to remain in the room if during the night drumming and shouting is heard. Apparently after dark, the elephants go into the fields of the locals and to feed on the crops. A few villagers each night take turns on elephant watch. Once a herd is spotted, the drum call goes out to awaken all the villagers to come out and make as much noise as possible to scare off the herd. As I lay sleeping in my mud hut (yes that’s right!), I was awakened by the call to the elephants. I couldn’t help but remember the many nights while in the Middle East as I was awakened countless times by the call to prayer. No rest for
the weary, I guess.
The next morning we headed out at 6am to catch a glimpse of wildlife in Bardia National Park on a jeep safari. Bardia being the largest and most pristine national park of Nepal theoretically has excellent wildlife watching opportunities and is known as one of the best places in the world to spot a tiger. Elephants and one-horned rhinos are some of the over 30 species living in the 1 550 sq. km park.
This area was most affected by the Maoist insurgency suffering a tourist slump that lasted almost a decade. Unfortunately, it has been devastated by poaching because of inadequate surveillance in the park, with its tiger population halved in the past 10 years. Fortunately, things seem to be back to status quo.
Unfortunately for us, after four hours all we saw were some birds and more deer. However, later that afternoon, I went on my first ever elephant ride which I was terrified about but thought I’d try it once. It was here that a group of us spotted a rhino family wading in a river.
India’s top three animals include tigers, elephants and rhinos, all are endangered and
strictly protected and I was fortunate enough to see all three between India and Nepal. Another awesome experience!
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Keontor
Kevin Finlayson
Wow! Fabulous pictures! Such a scary story with your encounter with the military. I'm surprised that you didn't pull out your two secret weapons to woo them over! I guess you only reveal them when tensions are 'riding'real high! I loved all of the animal pictures...must be quite amazing to have such close contact with nature...not simulated like it is here in North America. Add these memories to that ever-growing bank of fantastic images you are amassing on yet another incredible adventure! besitos....kevin