As promised, am posting pictures from my first tiger encounter at Bandhavgarh. These are mostly full body shots taken with the 70-200 and kenko 1.4x. Any closeups that are posted here were taken with the 400 f/5.6. The folks at Bandhavgarh have christened almost all of their tigers based on the territory occupied by the tiger(or it's mother). The two brothers shown below belong to the Mirchaini Tigress (she was out of town, thankfully, when we visited them). They are almost 2 years old, ready to move out of mom's house and establish their own territory.Glad I visited them while they were together.
After this entire thing happened, on our way back, my guide informed me that one of the two brothers that I photographed earlier had actually killed a villager who had strayed into the core zone to collect tendu leaves(tobacco) which are used to create a local cigarette called "bidi". This happened 6-7 months ago.He was only mauled to death and not eaten. Glad I came to know about this fact AFTER I took these shots. I will post more about Bandhavgarh park and zone details in another post(of course with pictures).
Thanks for viewing ! As I witnessed this event while this was going on, the tigers were clearly agitated by the presence of elephants and humans surrounding them.This controversial method of tracking tigers with elephants and cornering them, although bad, was a unique experience. My desire to see tigers in the wild was partially accomplished. I say partially because we did get some help here from the elephant trackers for this encounter. I wanted a complete "Do It Yourself" way of tracking/photographing tigers and as luck would have it, my evening encounter was just like I had imagined in my head. More about that encounter with pictures soon.
Thanks, again,for reading and viewing these pictures !!
Another very enjoyable series. This sounds like the trip of a lifetime getting to see and photograph these magnificent animals in thier own envrionment. You may have had a bit of help keeping them in range but they are still wild and free and that's more than most people will ever experience.
Great shots and story. I never really cared much about the tiger show (tracking and watching tigers from elephant) but I am guessing it is a necessary evil there. I am counting my days before I visit Ranthambhore. I hope tiger god smiles on me as well.
Another very enjoyable series. This sounds like the trip of a lifetime getting to see and photograph these magnificent animals in thier own envrionment. You may have had a bit of help keeping them in range but they are still wild and free and that's more than most people will ever experience.
Ken
Hey Ken, I am glad you liked the series. It indeed was the trip of a lifetime. Just getting to see as many tigers I saw in such a short time was sheer luck for me. Also, the driver and guide I used (same guys for all safaris) deserve all the praise for intelligently tracking and finding these tigers for me. I have to say, I had travelled that far from here and was expecting something incredible, and surely, the place didn't disappoint. On top of that, coming away with some good pictures was a double bonus for me.
Vivek wrote:
Excellent shots Kiran, you have captured the mood very well. Seems like Bandhavgarh needs to be on the list for the next visit.
-- V
Vivek, Thx !! I am planning another trip in summer (May). :-). Let me know, if interested. If not, I can get you in touch with the driver I used(whenever you go), he was incredible. He knew everything a photographer's assistant should know. Angles, lighting, background, subject,timing and what not. On top of that, he was a great tracker.
Kartik P wrote:
Great shots and story. I never really cared much about the tiger show (tracking and watching tigers from elephant) but I am guessing it is a necessary evil there. I am counting my days before I visit Ranthambhore. I hope tiger god smiles on me as well.
Cheers,
Kartik
Thx, Kartik ! Good luck with your upcoming adventure in Ranthambore !
I guess that is Sariska NP. All the tigers in Sariska were wiped out by poachers. A few months back a tiger couple was transferred to Sariska from Ranthambhore. Hope that couple make it.
Kirry007: Lovely series. I hope to visit bandhavghar in 2009 if everything works out.
I guess that is Sariska NP. All the tigers in Sariska were wiped out by poachers. A few months back a tiger couple was transferred to Sariska from Ranthambhore. Hope that couple make it.
Kirry007: Lovely series. I hope to visit bandhavghar in 2009 if everything works out.
Cheers,
Kartik
Correct, that is Sariska. It's a pity that tiger poaching is still a huge business due to the fact that tiger body parts fetch a mighty sum in China and other South Asian countries.
I was reading in a book that people believe the soup of a male tiger's genitals apparantly increases staying power( and hence the demand for that body part). Ironically the tiger's own staying power is a matter of seconds. I wish all this nonsense would stop and people get educated and realize what's true and what's not. Silly beliefs like these over the centuries have created a market and has contributed towards driving this great cat to the verge of extinction, sadly. However, I am glad to see/know that extreme measures have been taken in India to curb poaching and tremendous work has been done by forest departments all over to let this animal co-exist with humans. It's a work in progress.Buffer zones have been increased, villages have been relocated, tribals have been educated on the importance of this species to the ecosystem. Still, human-tiger conflicts arise occasionally due to a tiger killing livestock and the villagers then poisoning the kill to get back at the tiger. .
Anyway.....
Ranthambore still has some (20-30), you have a good chance of sighting them. If not tigers, there will be plenty of other wildlife and birds to capture. Pls let us know how it goes. Good luck, Kartik, pls let me know when you plan to visit Bandhavgarh, I will get you in touch with a couple of folks who will not disappoint.
Thats a lovely series of shots. I was priveliged to see tigers in the wild in Khana NP a couple of years ago - I did not get anything like the shots you have here.
I did go to corbet NP on the same trip but only got a small glimpse of a tiger there.
