Vision of Life; by Sanjay: Understanding Wildlife Tourism; Part 1/3 !!

“School of forest has many classrooms, all of them have one common syllabus i.e. learning co-existence” … Me.

As I have used my own quote (read as thought, as quotes are for celebrities) then you can imagine the sharing is about not so controversial topic but for a change about a topic which is enjoyed by many but spoken very less (no, it’s not what you think), I am referring to wildlife tourism! Post Covid suddenly there is a spurge in visiting forests & everybody wants to see the tiger which unfortunately is mistaken as wildlife tourism in our country which is a boon as well as a curse too! And via Jungle belles, which is run by my friends Hemangi & Aarti for urban women to have them exposer to wildlife, I also get to know many aspects about which most of these women along with their learned husbands are unaware about wildlife in actual & tourism too! So, we decided to make a series of some videos where we can share our experiences about wildlife tourism which can be helpful for those who want to enjoy wildlife! This series of podcasts is to make the common man understand wildlife tourism as lots of myths, misconceptions are there which we have realized during our journey at Jungle Belles in the last five years especially post Covid era! If, on one hand, people want to explore new locations of wildlife yet the common thread is, everybody wants to see a tiger when its wildlife tourism is a fact! But unlike other tourism trades, may it be fun, heritage, historic or even in nature (trekking) wildlife tourism is different as here nothing happens as per your wish or even by paying money & that’s the real fun of it. The forest may be same but things happening won't perform in a pattern, for e.g. you visit Disney Land & the famous evening parade where all characters come together & meet the tourists happens every evening at same time & same route but in the forest a tiger or a leopard or a herd of deer won’t take same route at same time ever, even if some time they may seem to doing it but it’s a coincidence which we call your luck & this, many tourists don't understand!

Right from choosing destinations to limitations on booking of safaris & rules to follow & expense, many aspects are different when wildlife tourism is the subject. These all factors can be shared is what we thought & explained not just in writing but by a dialogue in audio-visual format so more people can get aware, so we decided to cover the topic in three parts, Understanding "Basics of Wildlife Tourism", "Myths of Wildlife Tourism" & " Do's & Don'ts of Wildlife Tourism”! I was lucky enough to visit many forests of our country in last twenty-five years & first time thought of actually sharing some tips (call as experience) which can be useful to those who have not yet ventured in the wilds but want to do as well those who had been travelled to some forests & has faced some difficulties or want to know more about wildlife tourism! I myself am more comfortable with writing so thought of penning down the podcast stuff in words & agreed some may find actual Q & A type dialogue in video easier to understand yet those who like to read (there are yet few such left) can use this sharing. To understand wildlife tourism first one must understand meaning of wildlife & here many will say what’s big deal, where there are tigers, it’s called wildlife & seeing tiger projects is wildlife tourism & I don’t call this as ignorance but that’s what has been hammered on our minds all the time i.e. wildlife is tiger sighting but this is exactly what we have to understand. By me, (keeping all due respect to wise names in wildlife) any place which has biodiversity displayed in its natural form with vegetation, animals, birds, reptiles (even aqua life) is wildlife & any visit to such a place can be considered as wildlife tourism! And fortunately, our country has been blessed with most diversified wildlife as right from the Himalayan forests to deserts of Rajasthan to evergreen Sal forests of Kanha, to rainforests of far east to dry forests of central India to western ghats, arid grasslands of deccan plateau to coastal forests & aquatic life of Hindi Ocean & Arabian Sea, we have practically every type of wildlife available to us. Out of thirty-two States, nearly in fifteen States there is presence of tiger & leopards are found in nearly all the States with Lion in Gujarat & add the Cheetah in MP if you are thinking of big cats! Apart from all these, every State’s majority districts have their own flora & fauna even most Urban /Agro based States like Punjab & Haryana too have their share of wildlife, & most crowded city like Mumbai has Sanjay Gandhi National Park in its western suburbs & all these places are a form of wildlife only!

Once you understand wildlife then you can plan your destination accordingly & most asked question is, which is good season to visit the forests or for wildlife tourism & which are the locations (read as, where can I see the tiger for sure) & my answer is, every season is best for wildlife tourism as that’s the beauty of wildlife because not just in every season but on every day, in morning & evening the forests looks different but I know, people don’t want such Sadguru types answer, so let me be frank, if you want to see a tiger then best season is summer & destination is Central Indian forests! Now coming to the real answer, again you must decide what you want to see in the wildlife tourism as then the season can be decided as well you must understand your comfort zone because if you want to see a Snow Leopards then you will have to visit Leh-Ladakh where even warm is near zero degree! In wildlife tourism every season offers you something different for e.g. Barsingha (Swamp Deer) of Kanha forests which changes its colour & fur in every season. In summers its grey & shreds fur while in winters its thick brown Cadbury fur & early summer it becomes golden yellow! And this is just one species I am referring to, as every species, even trees (Ghost / rubber trees) change their appearance as per the season change & unless you visit forests in all seasons you won’t understand what you like most & then you can decide when to go back again! Yet, a bit of study, asking questions to the right people will help you decide destinations & season as speaking personally for me, I can’t stand cold so I avoid visiting central Indian forests in winter where mornings can be very chilling. In such a season you can try coastal forests or western ghats where cold is not an issue. In the deserts of Jaisalmer winter mornings are very cold but you can skip morning outings & start safaris a bit late after 10 am when sun has come up, such modifications you can do depending up on your tolerance limit for weather. This is also an important aspect, as in wildlife tourism you are not in control to decide the timing to explore the wildlife but nature only does that! In most wildlife destinations timings of visiting the place changes as per local conditions & usually decided by the forest dept of the respective State & one should take information about the same before visiting. Most forests where tigers exist are allowed to operate as per guidelines of NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) while at other destinations, timing changes as per season & related to sun rise & sun set as forest's life revolves around the sun. At many places even night safaris are allowed in a controlled manner now.

Many people also ask about accommodation & food arrangements at wildlife tourism & safety during safaris. We have to understand one thing, with exception of few locations (such as Ranthambore) most wildlife destinations are away from urban settlements (Cities & Towns) & providing perfect service & getting trained man-power including infrastructure such as mobile network, all these things are very difficult to avail & we must respect these facts as still people here try to give best possible service to the tourists by fighting with all odds! To tell you just one example, when you have to go for safari at morning 6 am then right from giving you hot water for bath to keeping your breakfast parcel ready the hotel staff has to get up by 4 am in morning for this & irrespective of extreme heat of summer of cold of winter or rains they have to do it! And this they have to do while some of you may be drinking till late in the dining room as they have the option of not going to morning safari but the staff doesn’t have that luxury! At the same time well trained staff of all category from B Schools are not ready to come & stay here as living 365 days at such locations is not easy for the urban white collared personnel, so most establishment must depend on local man-power & right from teaching them to speak & dress up, it’s a herculean task! But do mind that’s how the local people can earn their livelihood & they only are the reason to save the wildlife! Many hotels don’t even keep an intercom system in rooms as by doing this they can avoid the tourists calling the staff for smallest of the things which are actually not at all necessary! Even

Wi-Fi services are not available in all rooms but at some central places such as the dining area & this is why we go to forests as we can spend time with nature & not get hooked up with the virtual world which we are for most of the time in our concrete jungle, right? Rather use the time here to wander around your place to know more about the wildlife, talk with the locals & you will understand how wonderful forests are with so many stories hidden in its expand! And speaking about safety, its wildlife & if you follow their rules & keep proper distance then you are a hundred times safer than our concrete jungle, something I myself have experienced & for that deal with professionals! Ath the same time most people involved in wildlife tourism are locals & slowly they too are understanding that it’s the tourists whose spending will only improve the local’s lifestyle which in return will be the best tool to save the wildlife, so they all are very much helpful & care taking for the tourists.

Lastly, friends when you visit any wildlife destination you are not just having good time for yourself but you are in a way helping many lives, especially of the people who lives around the forests & that’s the biggest payback to the nature which is like a gift to humankind by the gods, by me this is the best aspect of wildlife tourism! Thanks for keeping patience if you have read till here & if you visit the forests with such patience then definitely you will understand them in a much better way & will keep visiting them to know more about them, in every season, adios with this note…

You can watch our sharing on You Tube link below in detail & plz do share …

https://youtu.be/0m9b7UnF5m0?si=RoZQXQYp2oXGDRRc

Sanjay Deshpande

smd156812@gmail.com

Sanjeevani Dev.

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