Tourism in Bandhavgarh

Since last 3 months I was visiting park almost everyday. Lots of Tiger sightings and lots of other things were seen. Other things means how the some lodges gets privileges in the park.
Some drivers are found driving off route all the time. They are driving some priviledge tourists. How they get priviledges is still a thousand dollar question?? In any case this does not gives any fame to the park and park authorities. I tell my clients in very open words. Who they are and what they are doing. This makes them more angry about our system. And as Hashim says Whole country is like that?? Corrupt.
The new rules are not helping the tourists. No one wants to miss the tiger by few meters, as it happened everyday in Rajbehra. If a Tiger lying on route A than route C people cant see it because they are not allowed to go 100 meters off the route. I discussed this matter with Park Supdtt. and he agreed with my point.
There is no control on drivers in this park and when they cheat the system guides also join them only because they see it as a fair thing to do for their clients.

Tourism in Bandhavgarh

cattle kills

mahavats says it was lakshmi, the limpy tigress of chorbehra. She jump the fence and killed 3 cattles and injured one.
Kuttappan said the same so i beleive it was her.
B2 is seen by some other people and they said he is fine no sign of any wound.
yesterday jungle was very quite. did not sighted any tiger but that is how it goes.

Tiger

So what is important today. My phone rang at 0330 in the morning. Tiwari ji Come quickly here. Rajesh and co are shouting on Siddhnarayan's roof to scare off two Tigers. They have injured a cow and killed otherone in other house.
Within minutes I was ready. Kay said You are not going alone? She joined me and within two minutes we were on the spot .
Pug Marks were clearly seen on road. Sultan came to inform that he saw pugmarks on Bijhariya road. We had to tell staff not to move in dark. Similarly other people and neighours were informed. Dont want any other case and tigers to get blamed for their death.
I had to call Ranger at 0445. Soon Elephants will be in the village.
Question is Who these are?
If I get any more news I will tell you in the evening.

Chainlink fencing

This morning I saw this porcupine running alongside the chainlink fence looking for a space to come inside the park area. She was seen near Andhiyaari Jhhiriya camp. Our guide Kanchhedi and Premlal guide were at the spot. Last year I photographed a Tiger trying to come inside of the park from outside.

These fencing are coming up in almost all the National Parks and sanctuaries in M.P.

Picture of a tiger can be seen here. Please scroll down the page. It is last picture.
http://www.ecoscene.co.uk/?service=search&action=do_quick_search&language=en&mode=&q=satyendra+tiwari&qw=&page=9&grid_layout=4

My purpose here to put this photograph is to ask your opinion on this point.

If after few years some researcher finds the ill effects of these fencing on Wildlife than Will the Government fix the responsibility of the loss on concerned people?

Your opinion on this point is very important for the future of wildlife in this country.

As Shri Lav Kumar Ji Khachchar said "If the army loose some teritory it can be taken back at some later date, but one species lost , or for that matter one mix of species disturbed and it would be impossible to recreate what is lost." So keeping this view mind please comment on pros and cons of chainlink fencing around N.P. and Sanctuaries in M.P.

Your comments will prove a valuable document at later stage.

Please comment on blog itself.

Visit to Bandhavgarh Fort

Visit to fort is always rewarding in one or the other manner. I tried to photograph Tomb Bats but my camera refused to work! Moody, like many other .....! Weather was not good to see vultures flying. Saw none flying at Bathaan. We saw a dead Spotted Deer near a pool on way to Badhaini view point. Our guide Vijay singh saw it on 1st of April and other guide saw it on 4th April lying there in same position.
Dead Spotted Deer is nothing for many tourists but for the people who care for the jungle is really worrying. Dead Spotted Deer was not eaten by any scavanger or predator. It means Vultures are not there and so the other preadors like tiger and leopard are also not there. What happened to all of them!
Things are not good here. Tigers are surviving on less than 4 sq km per tiger teritory. It is good for tourists who come here to see tiger but not good for tigers themselves.

Tiger Tourism

What is Tiger Tourism? Is there any ethics in this tourism industry? Yes there are but these depends on person to person. New generation of Tour Operators wants an assurity from the local travel agent / Lodge Owner about the Tiger sighting. Situation has improved in some cases but not all. Toft has played a major role in this.

People wants to photograph a snarling tiger. How is it possible? Yes it is possible but only in one case when you take your jeep so close to the tiger that he feel threatened and he will snarl.

B2

Some guide saw B2 this morning sitting near Sita Mandap. He said B2 was limping badly. He was sitting after every few steps.
What happened to him! All we could think of is that 2 days back he and Bamera male, his own son, were together in same area. B2 may have tried to behave with him in similar manner as he behaved with Kalua. B2 may have injured in this tussle. We did not see him this afternoon. This seems to be the beginning of the end of B2 era. B2 got this teritory from Charger. In his last days Charger was almost blind due to cataract. We remember seeing him hitting the tree and slipping on rocks while walking. He was found near a village, weak and starved. Initially he was put in a makeshift enclosure at the spot later in another enclosure where he spent last 6 months of his life. So Charger never faced any challlange from any male from outside. Remember in those days park boundaries were open and tigers had free access to surrounding areas. B brothers became dominant males in Tala range at the age of 27 months. They have seen Charger fading out of the scene. Once we saw three brothers not allowing Charger to share their kill.
Only place where B2 can spent his last days in peace is to avoide Bamera Male and stay away from him. Let us see what happens!
I will keep informing you about the latest development in his life

Dont stay here get lost is the message B2 wants to convey to Kalua

Last month someone showed a small clipping to Kay about B2 dominant male intimidating a young Tiger named Kalua. We also witnessed this day before yesterday. B2 was seen devouring a cow inside the park. Later on he moved towards Ghorademon. When we saw him in early afternoon his one foreleg was visible in the gorge. At about 1715 hrs a young male about thirty months old alo walk in the same gorge. He was shocked after seeing his father the dominant male of the area sitting there. He sat down instantly and freeze his movements. We heard only one Tiger growling, so probably that was B2. After few minutes B2 got up and started circling this young male. Moving towards him he snarled. Young male got up and moved backward. He was petrified. He lay down in submissive position. He was so petrified that he urinated. B2 charged on him, circling him again and again and after a roaring sound he came out of the gorge.

Young male sat down in fear, expecting new attack from his father, he kept looking on top. B2 walked for few minutes on the gorge and sat on top of the gorge.

We left them in that position. Next morning B2's pugmarks were seen miles away from the last sighting place and young male also disappeared.

This young male had very unfortunate story. Few weeks before we saw him in his mothers teritory. That day when he saw his mother coming down off the hill he started calling her like a cub. She came snarling and told her off. So poor chap is being told off by his both parents.

That is life our kids needs to learn. Once you become adult leave the shelter and make your own home. A daugter is better than a son minimum she will leave you after 25 -30 yrs but if a son becomes useless he will torture you till death.

Company provides.

Last month I was assisting a photographer so I had a chance to go on Elephant for several days. Sometimes Mahavat smells liquor in day time so I asked what happened today! He replied Oh yesterday I had some clients from one lodge and I couldn't go there yesterday to receive my Free Booz Supply so i got it today. Company gives 2 bottle of Beer for day and half bottle Rum for the evening. Now we know that why certain lodge always gets favour from the employees. Certainly client must have charged by the lodge for this free booze.
3 days back a beat guard knocked at my door at around 7/30 pm. I was shocked that this person who doesn't recognise me in the jungle why he has come here today. I smelled something fishy.
His reason to come was to beg / borrow some money from me as he has to send his family to his hometown to look after his ailing parents. I gave him money only after this thought that this man must have needed this money badly otherwise he would have not come to me. But what shocked me was that why he did not asked to his collegues for this small amount of 3000/ Rs.
Strange strange people.

Bandhavgarh Tigers

I was replying to Mr Peter Dickinson's comment than I thought why not I reply it on blog few more things to tell. Yes u r right but why she has to move with cubs! If she has gone out to dump her cubs then why she is taking that much Time! Why she herself is not coming back in her teritory! Her last litter of cubs stayed with her up to the age of three and half years of age. Three cubs 2 male and one female left at the age of three and half yrs of age and one male came back to his motherland after a year. He is called Bamera male now. Now he is about 5 yrs 9 months old. We have seen her cubs staying in the same teritory more than normal and diminishing the prey base.
If she is the same tigress as Chakradhara female than it will be interesting to know the reason of her leaving the teritory.
Is it because of lack of prey base!
or she left this area to get rid of her cubs!
Can someone enlighten me on this, Do they go out of their teritory to dump their cubs!

Tigers

Tigers Tigers and Tigers. That is Bandhavgarh. I declared it 3 yrs back that this park started dying and that time people were laughing on me. People who dont know the situation may laugh on me now when I say that this park has turned in to a Glorified Safari Park! Yes it is a Glorified Safari Park. Tourists who visit this park uses it like a Restaurant where people go to enjoy the meal of their choice and dont care for the kitchen that how it was cooked and in what condition the kitchen is. Forest department is happy by putting the Chain Link Fencing all around the National Park. They dont consider it as a corridor blocker or teritory divider for the tiger. One of the my friend in Forest Deptt told me the equations of chainlink fencing. That equation leads towards money spending!!!!!
May I request to my readers to enlighten me on this question if they know any park that is managed in this country with scientific guidelines!!
Topic here is a Tigress with three cubs. Her cubs are about 18 months old now and she is not being seen in the Park since last 45 days. Forest department thinks she is out and she is responsible for the death of this girl last week in Kuchwahi village.
Now the question is that why this tigress has to leave the best teritory area of the park, Chakradhara meadow and fort hill, to go out of the park. One guide said that he saw her snarling on her cub of last litter Bamera Male, who has become the dominant male of the area and trying to push B2 further back in to the hills. But that day she was waiting for the cubs to join her on the kill. She did not like her presence near the kill and male slapped her. But these are daily routine incidents in Tigers life and any established female will not leave her teritory that easily. She is 14 now. What kind of prey other than cattle she is getting outside is not reported so far. She was never seen outside of the park before. Areas from where she could come in are all fenced with 8 foot high fence. I am sure that in next few years Tigers will be managed genetically in these National Parks. Tala Range in Bandhavgarh has all the Tigers from Sita And Charger blood line except a male and a female whose parentage is not confirmed. Dominant males of this park has not faced any challange from any intruder male since last 13 years so that tells the part of the story.
In this country where human population pressure has reached to the core areas of National Parks how one can have hope of their (tigers) free survival.