Vijaya AKA Kankati AKA D4

We saw Vijaya this morning. Her eye looks bad. She challanged Lakshmi and forced her to move out of her teritory. They are still fighting and had a good fight few days back where Lakshmi chased her out of Chorbehra but not for long.

I am putting all the pictures of Vijaya's wound on my Flickr account so if interested please check

http://www.flickr.com/photos/satyendraphotography.

Kaziranga Tour December 2011

Kaziranga and only Kaziranga.

6 nights in Kaziranga will produce enough opportunities to see and photograph Big and Small game of Kaziranga.

This is a Tour focussed on Kaziranga Wildlife.

For itinerary and cost of the Tour please write me on skayscamp@gmail.com

Tour Leader Satyendra Tiwari.

Photographic Tour to Bandhavgarh in April 2011

A Photographic Tour to Bandhavgarh in April 2011

5 nights 9 game drives in Tala zone of Bandhavgarh.

Tiger show is on since last week so encash this opportunity.

Group Dates are.

April 22nd to 26th.

For more details of the Tour write me on skayscamp @gmail.com

Cheating Drivers in Bandhavgarh National Park

It seems to me as some particular lodge drivers has indemnity for breaking the rules in the park. We often see them on wrong route or making short-cuts through illegal routes to reach particular spot before everyone.
Yesterday I was on DB route and after completing the route when i reached to Tiger spot on B route I found that jeeps behind me are already in queue way ahead of me.
I hope people wont ask me the name but watch what happens in the park.
I will love to put this on Facebook too so the normal tourist should know that what efforts were made by his driver and guides for his Tiger sighting.
At the Time of formation of TOFT we all thought now the Toft members will control their drivers and the situation in the park will improve but that thought turnout only a dream thought.

Tiger Situation in Tala zone

Tiger density in Tala zone is all time high or just normal as it is since last few yrs in Tala range.
Tala zone is now of about 70 Sq km and it has these many tigers.
Three male Tigers but they are more or less using this area only for few days in a week. So Tala zone is only a part of their teritory. One sub-adult male is permanant resident in Tala zone.
There are 7 tigresses with their 12 sub-adult cubs. Out of these only two tigresses are using Tala zone only and rest visits the other areas also with their cubs.
So an area of only 70 sq km is explored by 11 adult tigers and 12 sub-adult tigers. The food requirement of these sub-adult Tigers is almost as good as of an adult. They all are 15 months + old and equivalant to their mother in size.
23 Tigers are looking for prey in a 70 sq km area.
Is there enough prey for them??
No no one has time to think about it. Lets count the Tiger numbers and feel happy??

Tiger sighting

Today we saw P10 twice. Sighting this morning in Barua Naalaah was very calm and enjoyable. He was sleeping in sandy naalah and everyone was calm. Everyone had good opportunity to see and photograph him.
In the afternoon we saw him again. Not by any effort of us but by the information of other drivers and guides of other route. We were on B route and vehicles on D route saw him crossing the road. They knew that he is going to appear on Ghodademon road so everyone cheated the system and appeared on B route.
It was a chaos. Tourists shouting on drivers to go more close and close and I was shouting let him go up-till Ghodademon gorge so everyone can have a good view of him. More jeeps came from other side and this tiger decides to go off the road. We decided to leave him in peace and dont look for him any more.
Later-on he did appeared on gorge again and moved towards Banbehi.
Now the question is Will the Govt be able to reduce this kind of disturbance to the Tigers by raising the money bar more high up??
No.
Because again only the people will deep pockets will be able to enter the park and they will lure the guides and drivers to go more closer to the Tiger.
Guide Training by Toft did not helped a bit in this case.
What is the solution??
I still feel that in case if any driver breaks the rule the Lodge Owner, from where he brought the guests, should also receive a letter of warning from Forest Department.

Chainlink Fencing

I would love to seeing it by my own eyes but what report I got this morning (11th Jan) from other drivers and Guides is as follows.
Some village dogs killed a Spotted Deer by chasing him to chainlink fencing near Mirchhani. A Tiger (don't know male or female but does it matter in this case, No) saw this happening from this side of fence. Dinu driver, Lala Guide and Namdev guide says that she jumped over with ease by resting her hind legs on fence, chase the Dog away to claim the injured Spotted Deer and walked away.
Jai Ho to chainlink Fencing and to its supporters.