Tiger Crossing

 


This one is for Kalyan, Taken in Kanha National Park on 31st May 2006
 

  • WOW!! To be so close to a Tiger…

    • It is indeed thrilling to see a tiger at close quarters and we saw a total of 11 in 8 days!!

  • Most excellent.

  • Great Pic!

    • Thanks 🙂

    • I’m impressed! You’ve managed the almost imspoibsle.

  • ** jealousy **

    do you have at least a 3oo mm lens, tho?

    • I have this and a TC 20E MkII convertor.

      However this was shot at 140mm

  • You may have meant it for Kalyan…

    Dedicated to Kalyan, perhaps, but shared by all of us, too, especially people like me who have waited more than 30 years for their first glimpse of the tiger (Corbett National Park, May 25 2006…that glimpse was for two minutes, hence I call ‘my’ tigress Maggi)….and thirsting for the next time they can see this most beautiful cat.

    Oh yes, I know, I’ve heard it millions of times over the years…EVERYTHING is equally important, whether it’s a stick insect or a mongoose…but…the thrill of seeing a tiger is unequalled.

    Thanks for the posting, and if there’s a chance of seeing ELEVEN tigers…let me look up the timetables for the station nearest Kanha…!

    And…er….look as if the jeep will soon have…a tiger in its tank,like the old petrol slogan used to say!

    • Re: You may have meant it for Kalyan…

      EVERYTHING is equally important
      My somewhat cheeky reply to people who say they do not go to the jungle to see the tiger is – “You mean, you did not?” 😉

      That said – the entire Kanha Jungle is indeed most beautiful. We always come back enriched in some way or the other from our visits.

      As for the count of ELEVEN – four we saw in Bandhavgardh and seven in Kanha. The Kanha meadows are teeming with Tigers these days, so much that the Elephant shows were stopped for 7 days and no one complained

      • Re: You may have meant it for Kalyan…

        Wejust got back from 12 days in Uttaranchal, there is NO way we can take off again for Kanha….so when I read your reply, I just sighed….

        Yes, I agree with your cheeky reply. “Other animals are as important as the tiger”, and only those who have not seen one talk rot like that!

        Think of me every time you see a beautiful tiger. I will, sometime soon, make it to Kanha and Bandhavgarh..I could come next week, but I want to come with my personal photographer, who cannot come right now…and there it stands.

        I am in fact, planning to call a friend in Indore and see if I can fly in and perhaps take a tourist taxi and come and see the tigers. Let me see if this works out…otherwise, more sighing is in order.

        • Re: You may have meant it for Kalyan…

          Oh! I would like to put on record that other animals *are* indeed important just that they are not as thrilling to observe…

          I mean, if a spotted deer walks within ten feet one wouldn’t even bother to look but if a tiger does the same you hold your breath in awe of sheer majesty of its walk!

          BTW the Parks will close sometime third/fourth week this month for the Rainy season….

          • Re: You may have meant it for Kalyan…

            Yes, I forgot about all the parks closing for the monsoon. I did try my friend in Indore, but I think Jabalpur is the place to go to for easy access to both parks. What I am planning to do is, perhaps take a train to Jabalpur and then hire a taxi…how far apart are the two parks, if Jabalpur is handy for both of them? Kalyan is away, or I would have asked him this.

            Sigh…. This is probably just wishful thinking, but ELEVEN TIGERS….it’s like the news of a heady wine that’s available….Kalyan told us how easy it is,compared to the forests of T.N. and Karnataka, to spot tigers in M.P.

            Perhaps it would be better to do this early next year and plan for it. We HAD planned to drive down all the way in March/April…taking the journey as part of the experience. However, something came up for Mohan urgently at work, and we planned the Uttaranchal trip for May instead. Do you think a Feb/March/trip next year a good idea or should we just fly down to Delhi or the nearest airport like Kalyan did? (We both love driving and are experienced highway drivers.)

            My ache to see more tigers, now that I have seen my first, and partly-seen my second, is such that by the next year I will probably have developed stripes!

            • Re: You may have meant it for Kalyan…

              Do you think a Feb/March/trip next year a good idea or should we just fly down to Delhi or the nearest airport like Kalyan did? (We both love driving and are experienced highway drivers.)
              Feb/March is a good time for Kanha, The nearest airport is Nagpur (thats were we are) Kanha is 255kms from Nagpur, Bandhavgardh a further 220kms from there, if you have not seen Bedaghat marble rocks I would suggest spend at least half a day there. Bandhavgardh to Jabalpur is 230kms or so and in turn Jabalpur is 280kms from Nagpur. I have this entire track marked out on my GPS receiver – can send it across if you are into GPS based navigation(you don’t need it – it is just that more geeky 😉 )

              Another exciting destination in the same circuit is Khajuraho Temples but you have to visit them when the annual festival is on going.

              Having your own car will make things easier. You can do something like Bangalore to Hyderabad rest for the night, Hyderabad to Nagpur. After that everything is about 4-5 hours drive.

              • Re: You may have meant it for Kalyan…

                Thanks for all the data. OK, I would rather that Mohan and I see the parks together, will surely ask you for more info before the visit. So THIS year, you see the tigers for me too, and inshallah, NEXT year…I think it will be a most enjoyable trip!

                How hot would it be by April if we did the drive that month? I am a cool-weather person….

                • Re: You may have meant it for Kalyan…

                  I am a cool-weather person….
                  Come before mid March

  • Btw I notice that the tiger has a radio coller on. Any idea who’s doing the research on it ?

    And I’m eagerly waiting for rest of the pics 🙂

    • That collar is a GPS transmitter not your regular radio collar. I have some info on who is monitoring and researching – hopefully I will meet the person on my next visit, next weekend 😉

    • CollAr. Kallu… spell check lagao. 🙂

  • that tiger has a collar

    • Yes, the collar has a GPS transmitter

    • I hear Tommy Hilfiger’s latest line of tiger collars is quite the rage these days with them. 😉

  • Arrey! Billi rasta kaat gayi aur aap dekhte hi nahin, tasveerein bhi kheenchte reh gaye ! :O

    Wah !