Tigers of Bandhavgarh...

Bandhavgarh National Park is situated in central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh- in the Umaria district. It is spread over approximately 1700 square km( as told to us by the guide during our trip.) & 4 zones- Khitauli, Tala, Maghadi & Panpatha. We are allowed to see only the 20% of the jungle. It has one of the highest density of tiger population in India.The park is open from 16 October till 30th June. But I would say that the best time to visit for higher probability of tiger sighting is in April & May-even if the temperature could rise up to 42 degree C. But it is at this time that the water becomes scarce, the vegetation is dry & the tigers have to come near the waterholes. Therefore it becomes easier to see them out in the open. The nearest airport is Jabalpur (about 200 km away from Bandhavgarh) & the nearest railway station is Katni (about 100 km).The roads from Jabalpur & katni are in good shape. So the travel to Bandhavgarh is  hassle free taking 4 hours from Jabalpur & 2 hours from Katni to reach to the national park.

We went to Bandhavgarh from 11-13th may 2017 & saw 12 tigers over there-3 adult males       (Bheem, Bamera's son & Mahamana's son) 3 females (Spotty, Kankati & Solo) & 6 cubs- 3 of Spotty & 3 of Kankati. We saw tigers in each of the 5 safaris. If we count the repeat sightings, then in our total trip we saw 21 tigers! 

Before this trip to Bandhavgarh, my count of tiger sighting was-
1) Kanha (2008)-1
2) Jim Corbett (2011)-0
3) Tadoba (2016)- 4

Of course, even if I might not have seen many tigers, I have thoroughly enjoyed all my trips to the jungle. Each trip has been etched on my mind for different reasons- I think that the Kanha jungle is extremely well maintained. I remember the meadows,the exclusive Barasinghas, the different birds(especially the spotted owlets & scarlet minivets, the Painted Francolin)) & also the tall Saal trees. We saw tiger only once over there, but it was thrilling to experience the presence of a moving tiger near you through the alarm calls of spotted deer, barking deer, the vigorous tapping of feet made by the Sambar deer & also the restless activity of the langurs- all this in the silence of the jungle! Jim Corbett National Park had an entirely different terrain & beauty of its own. The vast expanse of the jungle was indeed v haunting. During the evening safari we had seen at least 150 elephants gathering near a lake as if it were a World Elephant Conference! The river Ramganga that flows right through the jungle, has a tendency to change its course.That alters the jungle significantly. I would remember Tadoba for the ease with which we could see a pack of Wild dogs from a close distance at Pandharpauni. 

To see 21 tigers in 5 safaris at Bandhavgarh was indeed very rewarding to say the least! Another aspect was that we could see them for a pretty long period of time & from a v close distance. It wasn't just a fleeting sight. We could see them for at least 1/2 hour or more..In fact we had to leave their place & go somewhere as either it was the end of safari or we wanted to see other part of the jungle. . So we can safely conclude that Bandhavgarh doesn't disappoint...

Here, in this album, is a look at the 3 adult males that we saw during our trip & these are by no means the only tigers in Bandhavgarh!
1) This is Mahamana's Son- seen in the Maghadi zone-

Earlier I had mentioned about dry vegetation in summer. One can appreciate in this photo how that has helped us to spot the tiger. If the grass were to be green & tall(which is the case in winter), we would not have been able to see the animal. It is also interesting how these animals get their names. Mahamana is actually the name of the village nearby. A tigress was seen in that area. So she began to be named as Mahamana tigress & this is her son. So sometimes, the tigers get their names from the areas they are seen. Sometimes they are named due to their peculiar characteristics on their body- for example Spotty & Dotty-the two sisters got their names from their spots. While Kankati, the tigress got her names due to a slit on her left ear.And then initially there was a tiger by the name Charger- who was so named as he used to charge on to vehicles & elephants.
This guy, Mahamana's Son  was not far from us & was hidden in the grassland. It was evening time & just about time to wind up the safari. We had already seen Bamera's Son with 3 cubs.So we were in that sense very much contented.  But there were still some people from other jeeps who were audacious enough to go almost away from the road in to the grass to have a closer look at the animal... That was totally unnecessary & full of risk. Thankfully, he didn't react...

2) Bheem- Seen in the Khitauli Zone. We saw this royal, majestic animal, perhaps the biggest tiger of Bandhavgarh during the very first safari. And let me also tell you that it was a very close encounter for us. He was walking alongside our vehicle & was only 6-8 feet away from us. But he was calm & composed. He was in the world of his own & went away crossing our vehicles.

Bheem cooling himself in water in the scorching summer heat...

... and then walking away...

3) Bamera's son- Seen in the Maghadi zone. 

An unusual trait for this guy is that he is still with his approximately 4 month old cubs. This also means that he shares the responsibility of making a kill for the cubs, along with the mother of the cubs-Kankati. The guides told us that this was similar to his father- Bamera.

Bamera's son again- It is interesting to note that whenever tigers have to enter water, they do so by putting their hind limbs first in the water. May be this way, they are able to judge the depth of the water..

 

Interestingly this area is called Social or Tadoba. I don't why is it called Social. But the pond seems to be artificially made for the tigers. And there are similar waterholes in Tadoba. So the name... So we actually saw a Tadoba in Bandhavgarh!