The Week India - July 29, 2018

JULY 29, 2018 • THE WEEK 83

area which includes Bandipur Tiger Reserve,

Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and Brahmagi-

ri Wildlife Sanctuary. Once a private hunting

ground of the Wodeyar kings of Mysore and Brit-

ish offi cials, today Kabini is frequented by nature

lovers and birdwatchers from around the world,

with its forests teeming with over 350 species of

birds. It is also one of the few remaining habitats

for the wild Asian elephant.

I was excited about my trip to Kabini, having

kept my fi ngers crossed for a sighting of the

elusive big cats, so I set out at 6am for a two and

a half hour safari into the forests of Nagarhole

National Park in a bus full of eager tourists like

me, all hoping to spot a tiger or leopard.

Th e calm of the forest is disrupted by the unap-

pealing noise of our bus that is long past its date

of service, but once I learn to tune it out, I start to

experience the sights and sounds of the forest. I

watch a herd of deer, quietly grazing by the side

of the road. A fawn, barely a week old, snuggles

up to its mother, while the stag looks up to see

what is disrupting their breakfast. Th e sound of

fl uttering wings diverts my attention from the

deer, and I see birds of vibrant green and blue

fl ying in unison, almost racing each other from

one tree to another.

A beautiful peacock stretches on the trunk of a

fallen tree, basking in the morning sun and doing

his morning yoga. Suddenly, I see a fl urry of ac-

tivity up in the trees; it is a family of Gray Langurs

swinging on their long tails and scouring the

trees for breakfast fruit! From a distance, unfazed

by the noisy bus and the clicking cameras, a

wild boar continues sniffi ng the ground. To be

unperturbed by the paparazzi is a skill that the

Indian bison has not mastered, and he hides in

the bushes, peeking from in between the branch-

es, until we pass. And then, the moment I had

been waiting for—a possible tiger spotting! Or

so I thought, until I spotted a deer racing deeper

into the thicket and out of sight. Unfortunately

for me, the big cats, who are choosy about their

audience, did not grant us an appearance.

After the safari, I take a boat ride through the

backwaters of the Kabini river. Th e boat’s roaring

motor triggers a technicolour air-show of startled

birds in the sky. After the initial excitement

of water splashing my face, I notice the most

stunning expanse of manmade green I have ever

seen—hectares of beautifully maintained farm-

land being tended to with the utmost care!

Th e sight of the velvety green splashed with

BY MARY ANN ISSAC

MOST PEOPLE GO to Kabini hoping to spot the
big cats, but only a few come back after taking a
boat ride in the backwaters of the Kabini river,
hitching a ride on a bullock cart, catching a
sunrise over the fl ying technicolor birds, walking
through some stunning marigold fi elds, chatting
with the curious, yet shy tribals and watching a
farmer plough the fi elds with his loyal bulls.
Kabini is part of a larger protected wilderness

RUSTIC

DELIGHT

Visiting the

village of Kabini

is a feast for

your senses

LOCATIONS

Place State

Kabini Wildlife

Reserve

Karnataka

Masinagudi Tamil Nadu

Panna and

Bandhavgarh

National Parks

Madhya

Pradesh

Wayanad Kerala

Thekkady Kerala

Jim Corbett

National Park

Uttarakhand

Kaziranga

National Park

Assam

Dudhwa

National Park

Uttar

Pradesh

Mangalajodi Odisha

Ranthambore

National Park

Rajasthan

WILDLIFE &

LOCATIONS NATURE