Sighting Wild Elephants in India

Wild elephants or Indian Wild Elephants are spread in many states of India. But, they are found mostly in North East, North West, East, and Southern India.  Badly persecuted for their tusks considered an aphrodisiac, and for ivory-based artifacts, their number had gone precariously low. The tusks were also considered as a money transfer from India to other countries where they could be sold to obtain cash.

Once widespread all over the forests of the country their population has reduced, and it stands a little over 30,000. Thanks, to the Project Elephant Program and the ban on hunting the population of the pachyderm, is increasing and they are being sighted in their previous habitats. For example, there have been sightings of herds in Bandhavgarh, Kanha, and neighboring forests. These animals were never heard of in these areas.

Project Elephant   

Launched in the year 1992 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) to provide financial and wildlife management support the program is doing well.

• It was launched as Central Government Scheme;
• Centrally Sponsored Scheme with following objective
• To protect elephants, their habitat, and corridors.
• To address issues of man-animal conflict.
• The welfare of captive elephants
• to promote not to harm elephants for their tusks.           

More elephant conservation initiatives are being carried out to protect the species in India.

Indian Vs African Elephant

Indian or Asiatic Elephant differs morphologically from African Elephant. The former prefers dense forests while the latter prefers savannah grasslands. Most of the biological features and social life is nearly similar.        

Distribution of elephants in India.

The population in the country stands between 27,785–31,368.

They are found in the Northwest Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

They are found in the Northeast – from the border of Nepal in Northern West Bengal, West Assam plains extending into eastern Arunachal Pradesh, the foothills of Nagaland, and Meghalaya. Small herds occur in Tripura, Mizoram, and Manipur

They are found In the central part – in Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. The entry into Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh has been recent.

in the South, they are found in   Karnataka, Kerala Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

Elephant Tourism

Though nothing compared with tiger tourism in the country elephant tourism is not uncommon. Tourists on tiger safari often seek wild elephants at Corbett National Park and Periyar Tiger Reserve. Other places where the pachyderms are seen in the wild are:

• Singhbhum Elephant Reserve
• Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve
• Garo Hills Elephant Reserve
• Anamudi Elephant Reserve
• Chirang-Ripu
• Mahanadi
• Thekkapakadu
• Punnatthurkotta, Guruvayoor
• Dubare

Most of these destinations are elephant reserves while many are camps that display the wild pachyderms. Although not as popular as tiger reserve still a large number of these giants can be seen in the country. Post January elephant sighting at Corbett increases. This attracts a lot of tourists to the reserve. Elephants descend to the foothills as vegetation becomes scarce and winter is at its peak. 

Satpura National Park James Forsyth Adventures

James Forsyth first pitched his tent in the dense canopy at Satpura National Park. If you visit Pachmarhi you are sure to visit the cottage that has been turned into a museum commemorative the huntsman and naturalist. The unimaginably rugged and torturous landscape was inhabited by various tribes. Forsyth perhaps was the first outsider to venture into the deep confines.

His foray into the Central Indian Highlands was not only to survey the terrain, he keenly studied the local communities their customs, and more while stationed in these dense forests. Unfortunately, his observations benefitted the outside world but he shot down many wild creatures.

As you read the book you realize that the author was not an accomplished writer, but nevertheless, his accounts are fascinating. His interpretation of what he experienced while staying at Satpuras has been scripted in a romantic manner but his reference to tribal and local communities is much wanting. His rating of locals is at best low and he does not hesitate to mention them as unintelligent people trapped in obscurantism.

James Forsyth was an allrounder. Besides being an adventurer he knew geography, natural history, and wildlife. His accounts of what he experienced have been aptly recorded in his book "Highlands of Central India."  Get hold of the book if you can to dig into past communities and wilderness.

Satpura Tiger Reserve

Satpura National Park and tiger reserve is the core of the Satpura Range and encompasses Bori Sanctuary and Pachmari Hill Resort. Together they for the Satpura Biosphere Reserve comprising around 3000 sq. Km.  Satpura range is the core area while Bori and Pachmarhi are buffer zones. The reserve is home to 52 species of mammals, 300 species of birds, and 31 species of reptiles. The targetted species are Malabar Whistling Thrush, Orange-headed ground thrush, racket-tailed drongo, and hornbills.

The floral element comprises Sal, teak, dhawa, kosum, bel, aonla, bamboo, mahua, and many more.

The park comprises:

1339.26 sq. Km core

794.04 sq. KN buffer

2133.40 TOTAL area.

Tourism takes place from Madai a small township near Hosgabad. To reach the core tourists have to take a motorboat ride over the River Denwa this is a short ride lasting a few minutes. The safari begins after crossing the river.

Like all reserves in MP, a tiger safari permit is required. You can book a safari permit for Satpura Tiger Reserve online or at the gate. During the rush time, permits are not available at the gate hence it is wiser to book online. a permit is required. You can book a safari permit for Satpura Tiger Reserve online or at the gate. During the rush time, permits are not available at the gate hence it is wiser to book online.    

 

Safari at Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh

The only broad-leaf forest situated in North Western Madhya Pradesh is a veritable paradise on earth. Bottomless ravines, grasslands, and dense teak forests define this tiger landscape. After the complete extinction of tigers and poachers perhaps in connivance with forest guard the population of big cats was completely wiped out.

Amazing conservative initiatives there are now more than 28 tigers in the park. The safari has begun and the big cat sightings are good. The terrain is now recovered and wild animals too have made a comeback with improvement in the ecosystem. 

Panna is home to tigers, leopards, sloth bears, Nilgai, wolf, hyena, and many other animals. It is rich in birdlife including the Himalayan vultures, white-backed vultures, Egyptian vultures, long-billed vultures, and the Monk Vulture. Among other bird species, the tiger reserve is home to Shama, verditor flycatcher, orange-headed ground thrush, grey hornbill, Oriental pied hornbill, black-naped monarch, and more.

Panna National Park

Ensconced in Vindiyan Hill Range it becomes contiguous with the Satpura Range at Mailkal Hills. Kanha and Achanakmar also meet here. The area of the park is 542.67 sq. Km. Along with Ken River Sanctuary forms a catchment area for the Ken River which is the park's lifeline. The river system is home to marsh crocodiles and the gharial besides many other aquatic forms of life. 

The National Park and surrounding forest are the only remaining chunks of broad-leaf forests in North Western Madhya Pradesh. These are the only forests home to wild animals rest of the area is barren.

The destination was declared a tiger reserve in 1994/5. Most of all rather all the big cats have been translocated which has been a great success.

Safari at Panna National Park

Tourism is organized twice a day one at the start of the dawn and the other in the evening at dusk. The park is divided into tourism zones in twenty percent of the core area of the park. To avail of game rides one needs a permit. This permit fortiger safari permit at Panna is obtained at MPOnline an MP Government Portal. You can also avail permit at the gate if available. My advice is to book online as there is a rush and you may be left out.

Panna is only 26 km from Khajuraho Airpot and that is the best way to reach the National Park from New Delhi.     

Tiger Safari Holiday at Kanha

Tiger Safari Holiday at Kanha National Park.

Kanha is situated at Maikal Hills and the system is nurtured by tributaries of the Narmada River. The river originates from Amarkantak Resort at Maikal Hill and flows over 700 km to merge into the estuary of Baruch in Gujarat. Interestingly Makal Hills are a confluence of Vindhyan Hill north of MP and Satpura Hills south of Madhya Pradesh. Jabalpur is the the Center of India lying east towards Kanha National Park.

Maikal Hills are a part of Achanakmar Biosphere Reserve which comprise Amarkantak Forests and Achanakmar Tiger Reserve. Kanha is not part of the biosphere reserve but is contiguous with the origin of Maikal Hills and Achanakmar once forming a corridor for wild animals to translocate. Thus a large ecosystem was in place and formed a habitat for all life forms.  On the western side, the forests were connected with what are now Bandhavgarh, Sanjay Dubri, and Panna.

Some of the regions have been mentioned by James Forsyth in his book Central Indian Wildlife. This has become a sad story now since the contiguity is intruded on by human settlements, agriculture, and livestock. Among the isolated pockets, three popular ones are

• Kanha National Park
• Bandhavgarh National Park
• Panna National Park

These are situated in Madhya Pradesh while another reserve the birthplace of white tiger Sanjay Dubri has yet to face the limelight. It too is situated in Madhya Pradesh barely an hour's drive from Bandhavgarh.  

Kanha National Park

Most popular among all the National Parks is Kanha which is also a tiger reserve. It is home to more than 100 tigers, but the fame has come about due to saving the hard ground barasingha or swamp deer. It was a remarkable conservation initiative and made the park popular all over the World. From 66 heads the population now stands at over 600. To save the gene pool some animals have been translocated to other destinations.

The biodiversity is rich and improved after it turned into a conservation unit. All Central Indian mammals and reptiles are found here while more than 250 bird species can be checklisted.

Tourism at Kanha National Park

Twenty percent of the inviolate core is reserved for regulated tourism while the outer area or buffer is also open to tourism. Being the best place to see the tiger and other animals tourists throng in large numbers every year. But the entry is limited hence safaris or game rides should be booked in advance. Those planning a tiger safari holiday should thus book a tiger safari in advance. The safaris should be booked through MPOnline Portal belonging to Madhya Pradesh Government.

There are a large number of wildlife resorts outside the park that organize tiger safaris, rest and recreation. They range from budget to upscale properties.  

Kanha is best accessible from Jabalpur Airport in MP. It is well connected with the capital and all major towns. From the airport, the drive is three and a half hours only. Kanha Tiger Reserve is well connected by a road network. It is well connected by a rail network as well. The park is closed from 1st July and opens on 1st October.            

Tiger Safari In Hot Summer of May and June

Heat Rises in Mid-March and last till 15 June is monsoon is in time. The temperature rises to 42 degrees in shade and 45 degrees in direct sunlight. Otherwise, it gets delayed by mid-July. Mid-July Monsoon pours in. This is a nig relief and most of the herbivores breed in this season when there is plenty of grass to feed and produce milk. Most herbivores breed during monsoon when torrents of rain give new roots to shoots and green grass.

Torturous Months

By March water in rivers, ponds, and lakes start receding but there is still water left for wild animals to drink. As summer precedes some water bodies completely dry out while water is left. As water recedes further some water bodies are completely dry. Animals are dependent upon a few streams and trickles. Some man-made water bodies sustain water. Animals congregate in these spots and the predators follow them for easy kill. 

This has been seen at Ranthambore where tigers have learned to kill in water. They hide behind the bushes and make a rush at the sambar deer kill. After many a chase, they managed to kill. This was begun by Machli the famous tiger who mastered the art. She became the heroine of the park and many photographers and filmmakers began to make a beeline to capture these events. After Machli many tigers began to copy this hunting technique. This is a unique event and has become regular.

At Kanha, sentinels fill the saucer with water in a saucer made of cement. Tigers, leopards, langurs, small animals, and deer come to these saucers to quench their thirst. Thankfully Kanha is not as dry and places of water remain even in summer. But congregation does take place giving a chance to make an easy kill. Pench and Tadoba are drier and water has to be arranged for.

If you are a wildlife photographer this is the best time for photo tours if you can stand the heat. Animals congregate and offer the best time to make films. This is the best time for a tiger safari in India if you can bear the heat.

Remember to keep light khaki and stay in the AC room. Wildlife photographers can afford that.      

Why Madhya Pradesh is known as Tiger State? Why Tigers Abound Here

 Madhya Pradesh Tiger State

With a population of 526 Bengal tigers, Madhya Pradesh has wrestled the title from Karnataka which was leading in numbers since the last census in the year 2010. In that year, Karnataka registered a population of 408 big cats.  But the last census conducted in the year 2018 showed more big cats than ever in Madhya Pradesh. Although the number is minuscule whence compared with their population before the hunting began a few centuries back.   

Bengal Tiger

 

Central Indian Tiger Landscape

Central India for centuries has been a heavily forested State with more than 40% of the area under forest cover. It was connected by extensive corridors with tiger landscapes in the North and the East and down below right up to the tiger landscape of Southern India. The fluid passages acted as a safe conduit for the migration of big cats and their prey. 

The state encompasses Vindhya Range in the North  West, and the Satpura Hill Range forming a ridge below. Both ranges converge at Maikal Hills in the Amarkantak  Achanakmar Biosphere Reserve. The region known as the Highlands of Central India comprises inaccessible terrain that encompasses Steep cliffs and tabletop mountains scattered all over the region. This terrain is now home to Central India's tiger reserves namely:

• Panna National Park
• Bandhavgarh National Park
• Nauradehi Tiger Reserve
• Achankmar Tiger Reserve
• Kanha National Park
• Pench National Park
• Satpura Tiger Reserve 
• Rata Pani Tiger Reserve
• Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve 

Although these reserves are fragmented with non-existing weak corridors they hold a substantial population of big cats, and the numbers are rising. Tigers need inviolate areas to breed and hunt they are sensitive to human intrusion and agrarian practices that clear forests. The predator is an ambush hunter and cannot chase its prey like the cheetah or the lion. The animal cannot survive in the absence of a dense crown cover intermingled with bush country and tall grasses. It needs a good prey base and water supply from waterholes, rivers, lakes, etc. 

Madhya Pradesh is endowed with characteristics that tiger habitats should have hence the state is home to amazing tiger landscapes that can help breed and sustain large populations. The next best step would be the formation of corridors but that is a distant dream.  

Thus the high-level saturation of the tiger population is due to habitat formations that best suit the predator. There still exists some large contiguous areas that are connected by corridors still allow migration of the predators and the prey. Inaccessible terrain, dense crown cover, and plenty of prey base. Thus populations are flourishing wherever proper protection is provided to them. 

The ban on hunting by the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and the formation of protected areas under the Project Tiger Program were highly successful all over India. This prevented hunting and poaching and provided them with inviolate areas where they could breed in peace.

A large sum of money is being pumped up into conservation. Fortunately, it is being generated from tiger tourism in the reserves. Tourists, holidaymakers, filmmakers, and photographers are regular visitors to these parks. Although the target species is the tiger they are also attracted by animals like the swamp deer, sloth bear, wild elephants, leopard, wolves, wild dogs, and even small predators and deer. 

Birding is also attracting a large number of visitors since these parks are home to more than two hundred avian species. Bird watching, and nature trails, are organized by luxury hotels using the services of a naturalist. The tiger reserves of Central India comprise excellent tourism infrastructure including the approach roads. 

Jabalpur Airport and Railhead in MP is the fulcrum from where you can easily approach these destinations. You can also approach some reserves from Nagpur Airport and Khajuraho Airport. Remember the park is closed during the monsoon due to slush formation on the roads. 

For excursions in the parks your need a safari permit for each ride. Book permits in advance since the jeep entry is limited. You can book a safari through the tour operator or at MPOnline. 

Tiger Tourism and Bandhavgarh National Park in Central India

Bandhavgarh National Park in Central India is a conservation unit chiefly focused on saving the critically endangered Bengal tiger. At Bandhavgarh tiger, tourism plays a major role in revenue generation. NTCA a government body sets guidelines for recreation in the park. The safaris are regulated and subject to terms and conditions shaped by several rules. The park is also a tiger reserve, and the conservation initiative is set by the forest department.

The regulations are under the advice of the Supreme Court of India and are subject to be implemented for tiger safaris. NTCA or National Tiger Conservation Authority is the guardian of the Project Tiger Program initiated by the Government of India.

The park is divided into the core or critical tiger habitat which is inviolate and no human settlement or any activities are allowed and the outer ring or buffer comprises villages, forests, and farmlands. Twenty percent of the core is subjected to tourism as demarcated by the local forest department. This area is subdivided into three zones and to visit each zone a safari permit issued by MP State Government is required. The permit is issued by the State Government of Madhya Pradesh. The open jeep safaris seat six people with a guide on a ride inside the core. Two game rides are conducted daily, one in the morning and the other in the evening.

How to Book Bandhavgarh Safari Permit?

The permits can be secured from the MPOnline website of the  State Government.  You have to decide which zone to visit in the morning or evening safari rides.  Do this much in advance, if you cannot decide then take advice from the hotel naturalist you are going to stay at in Bandhavgarh or seek advice from the manager of your tour operator in India.

To book a safari go online at the MPOnline website, here you need to fill out the form which requires you to submit personal details including those accompanying you on the jeep safari. A photo ID could be a passport or a driving license. You can choose the date, time, and zone and then make the payment if the slot is available. Make a payment online using a credit/debit card or Internet Banking. After the reservation has been completed take a printout of the permit. If you don't wish to take the trouble of online reservations then get your permits through the agent.

During the game rides, you have to carry a copy of the permit and your original passport or photo ID. All co-passengers will need to do the same. On the ride, you are allowed to carry a camera or a Handycam/binoculars but no guns or inflammable articles.

When on the safari the jeep keeps to the selected zone and cannot crossover into another zone. The canteen with toilet facilities is in a designated area meant for freshening up and brunch during the morning ride.

Remember, always reserve safari permits in advance as entry into the tourism zone is limited.  At Bandhavgarh National Park the maximum number of jeeps allowed in one zone is twenty-five as the park is smaller compared with many other National parks in Central India.