Vision of Life; by Sanjay: Winter Magic of Tadoba & UKWS!

The time I spent in the jungles held unalloyed happiness for me, and that happiness I would now gladly share. My happiness, I believe, resulted from the fact that all wildlife is happy in its natural surroundings. In nature there is no sorrow, and no repining.” … Jim Corbett

If a man goes to the forest & comes back unhappy then he is a fool for sure… Me

Well, first sharing of the New Year & it’s about Tadoba (I can feel the oh no, not again, of some readers) & Umred Karhandla i.e. UKWS but let me be honest, it’s just a coincidence as I had been to both these places in late November & early December but few other issues took space of my mind & this sharing got delayed. But the best part is I am happy (at least for myself) that the first sharing of the New Year is for my most favourite subject, wildlife & Tadoba. Of late even I myself questioned (to myself), am I obsessed with Tadoba, & answer may be somewhere in between yes U no (sorry, elections & tamasha going on so the answer is bit political) but so much my each trip here surprises me with something new that next time I visit for something more, to learn to experience, so be it, why to waste words in defining what I feel, better I use it for what I experienced there, right?

Ohk, I had been to Tadoba in this time of year i.e. peak winter, December nearly nine years back & I hate cold so rarely after that I visited central Indian forests in Dec/ Jan as winters are harsh & frankly the forest safaris become more of torture than enjoyment for a cold hater like me & fault is mine not of nature! On top of it this year’s winter is like a real winter after decades for sure as in Pune I have never witnessed mercury roaming around ten degrees for more than two months & more importantly dry air with clear sky, that was the reason to dare to visit tadoba even in December! As last many trips which ever month I have been here it rained & I agree forest looks most beautiful in winters but combination of cold & rain I can’t sustain but I looked at sky & thought this is the time to explore Tadoba in the winters & there I was, on those dusty red roads with grass & bamboo changing colours from greens to yellows, with crisp cool air & clear blue sky above! Before we start, a disclaimer for those who want to visit Tadoba to see a tiger or tigers! In Tadoba you have maximum chance of sighting a tiger because the conservation efforts of the forest dept along with the people living around tadoba has made the term coexistence of humans with wild life, a reality & that’s why tigers here are much comfortable in the presence of tourists & not shy unlike many other forests. At the same time the forest, especially in the core, has wider roads & patches of open grass which in summer gets dried up so the tigers can be seen much more easily than other evergreen forests. But two important aspects, unlike any tourist destination or even project tigers, Tadoba is much more in demand so safari bookings are a big & most important thing & needed to be done well in advance. Many of my friends call me today (for e.g.) & ask if they can go to Tadoba by next weekend & answer is a yes, they can go to tadoba on any weekend but safari bookings are always full nearly ninety days before, so plan the trip accordingly. At the same time safari permit (ticket) is non-refundable as well as non-transferable, you can add names in it but can’t change the names, so be very clear about all these facts. Another aspect is what you see the posts of people on Insta, FB or on WhatsApp groups about the tiger sightings is present sightings, & when you visit Tadoba which can be three months later the scene may be different as it’s not a zoo but a real forest where tigers grow, move as per their needs (not mood) so visit with all these aspects in mind as then you will enjoy the Tadoba as a forest more!

Another aspect of Tadoba is, there are zones & then there is core & buffer & good thing is, tigers are everywhere but in core the expand is large & the road network is lesser, in compare to the area so chances of tiger sighting in core is actually less than that in buffers which many people doesn’t understand or realize. As well the spread of core is also big so if you are entering from Kolara gate (entry of core) the Moharli gate (another entry point) is on opposite side & with speed limits on vehicles it takes more than one hour just to reach other gate if you know that tigers is being sighted on this side & probably till you reach at the spot it might have gone somewhere & by the time you go back to your gate even the tigers there also might have moved away! So, understanding the way a tiger is sighted in the forest & enjoying the forest as well as the Tadoba habitat instead of just running behind the tiger, is what I will advise as then tiger sighting is a bonus which does come to you sooner or later & then you welcome it with more joy for sure. At the same time, buffers also have wonderful forest & wildlife, the only difference is, here human settlements are there, though scattered & roads are narrow but the spread is small & chances you bumping (not actually, visually) with a tiger are more! In nutshell, don’t be fussy about just getting a core safari ticket whatever you get grab it, advise no 2!

Coming back to my trip, after spending so many hours in Tadoba I know one thing, the time a tiger is supposed to be seen by me, it will be seen, not before that & not after (sounds familiar, like a popular WhatsApp forward, “samayse pahale aur samay ke baad kisiko kuchh nahi milata,” plz google for meaning) & this philosophy again I experienced in this trip. Though my wish did come true, which always happens when it's tadoba but patience factor is there for sure. There is a young tigress named Collerwali which is now ruling territory of late legendary Sonam (another tigress) & has four cubs one of which got killed by wild dogs near Telia dam itself. So shaken by this incident the Collerwali was that she retreated in adjoing Junona buffer area which is to be accessed from another gate (for humans, not for tigers) & her sighting was equal to nil near telia dam which was once hotspot for tiger sighting. But as I said this is forest & every wild animal behaves as per its comfort & needs so Collerwali now with her three cubs which are grown up & are of good size decided to come back in telia dam as now the cubs are big enough to deal with wild dogs & barring them there is no other threat here for the cubs. I have seen tigress with cubs but to watch four grown up tigers together is some sight & rather as she is on the core side the sighting (if happens) could be some real memorable things & I do wish for one such. On day one morning, we entered from Moharli & instead taking the route of Telia dam decided to check area behind it & in doing that when we came to Telia dam, the tigress & the cubs have moved away from the water. We waited for three hours but no sign of them & the safari time ended. In the afternoon we waited at Telia dam again & the alarm calls of deer came from the road which we visited in the morning & we rushed to follow the alarm calls & the moment our gypsy took turn on that road, there they were, four of them sitting right on the road! Now, the tricky part was, if they get up which they would eventually & start walking then they either can walk in our direction or opposite direction as we don’t know what is their agenda & here two things works, knowledge of present situation in forest & luck! Our guide & driver said as they have already come from Telia dam so chance is they won’t walk back but the mom has taken these cubs out to teach them territory marking & show around the forest which every tigress did with her growing cubs, so we decided to wait on the side where we were standing. And the logic as well luck worked & all four of them got up one by one & started walking towards us. Well to describe the sight, I don’t have enough words yet imagine this, the sun was behind us travelling towards horizon, the entire surrounding was washed in yellow light & the road was covered with red dust, the grass was yellowish green & on that background four grownup tigers with yellow black stripes & bright orange eyes, walking together towards us! At one moment I felt entire world has frozen in yellow-red frame & unfazed by our excitement the mom was guiding here cubs, making trees along the road with her clows & urine & making cubs learn to do it, we were following (rather they were following) every move of them, giving them space & it was an experience the way mom tigress was teaching them as well keeping a keen eye around (on us also)! Out of three cubs one is smaller & lingering behind the mom tigress has a special eye for it, always making sure that there is not much gap between that cub & these three as well making sure it also gets all the marking lessons! This is not just sighting, this is experiencing how wildlife evolves in the forest & fun is tomorrow (in near future) these cubs only will become rivals of their mom who is teaching them today survival as well territory ruling techniques, that’s how forest life is!

Next day we have safari in Junona buffer which is adjoining to Moharli core & yesterday only we have heard roars of male tiger around who is father of these sub adult cubs i.e. Chota Dadhiyal. A male tiger had a large territory under him & we took the chance that if this guy was in the core for the whole day, so next day, he might venture in the buffer to mark his territory & our logic paid off with some luck on our side. Another important aspect is when you see movement of gypsies' ahead or around, just don’t rush to the spot, take your time, understand movement of the tiger & then decide from where you want to access the sighting as in buffers the roads are narrow & if a tiger is walking on that road then only two or three vehicles can actually have a good sighting because you can’t overtake a tiger if its walking ahead as well you can’t give it side because of the narrow road widths unless a square or diversion is there to take the gipsy on side of the road. Here also we checked the movement of the male (CD) & we realized its cutting across a patch of grass & will emerge on the road across it so we reversed & waited patiently on the road instead of just going forward & having a glimpse of the tiger. And from the grass CD emerged right in front of our gypsy & walked quite a distance marking his territory on the trees along! Yellow green grass & morning sun & a full grown male tiger washed in it, walking in his own mood, the sight is beyond any words! And as I said, Tadoba is not only about tigers, we spend time watching owls, butterflies & even the moon as darkness covers the forest by 6 pm at this time of winter here. Rather to listen to the tiger roaring & calling its family in the darkness is something which one only can experience by being there!

Before I conclude this sharing, a month before I visited another favourite place UKWS (Umred Karhandla) & the target was to click F@ tigress with her five cubs which couldn’t happen but we witnessed something equally magical! Every wild lifer has a wish list about the forests & I am no exception to this, Law of Greedy Nature of Humans! And forests have been helping me to tick my wish list all the time but the list has no end! One such in the list is, being able to see a male tiger crossing the road in front of me, with the forest road behind merging in the green horizon, and the tiger looking towards us before getting vanished in the wilderness across the road! I knew it's difficult as so many factors involved in this, first to sight a male tiger in itself is difficult in the forests because of his large territory & then you can get him head on as that's because tigers like to walk along the road for long distance but to get a male tiger to cross road, it's a sheer chance & matter of right timing. Second, an empty road behind the tiger, because if a male tiger is walking then usually the news spreads and there are gypsies rushing to the spot in no time & the tiger crosses the road in two or three strides, so it's a matter of a few seconds. Third, why would he look at us while crossing the road, it's only his mood which can make him to do so means more luck is needed. Fourth, our gypsy must be in front to get a clear shot. Fifth & most important, my own reaction time to click that moment if at all I get lucky to cross the first four conditions!! Yet I have my hopes that in Tadoba this may be possible someday but the Forest Genie chose UKWS to bless me! Ours was the first gypsy entering on a misty winter November morning from Karhandla gate, it was very cold & blueish fog was still settling in the forest, our cameras were out though (a habit which does helps in the forests) but we haven't had much hopes for any so early sighting & suddenly our guide said, “Sir, tiger chal raha hai road par”! We also saw it & the tiger vanished as we reached that spot, we moved our gypsy slowly ahead & reversed, there was no sign of the tiger, like the forest has swallowed it alive, but we keep searching & again the guide, hissed this time, “Sir, gaddeme baitha hai tiger” i.e. tiger is sitting in a small ditch along the road & the eyes on the big head were looking at us only! We reversed a bot & waited in the hope he would come out & resume its morning walk so we will get some head on shots but it's a tiger & he will do what he wants to do. In the meantime, two more gypsies had joined us, meaning the tiger may rise & vanish in the adjoining jungle, we waited anyway. And the tiger rose from the road side, looked at us & silently came on the road looked at me(for a second I felt he actually smiled at me), I could see the empty road behind & my pulse rate went high with feel of adrenaline rush, I was in dilemma, whether just to watch this moment or click, but greed overtook as usual & I lifted camera, thanked the tiger as well UKWS Gennie, and ticked the wish. To add the bonus, the road behind the tiger was empty & with mist floating along, making the whole scene like a Marvel movie set, which lasted for just 4 or 5 seconds but it will remain in my mind forever! And then UKWS showed me some wonderful displays of butterflies of all colours & shapes, something we rarely notice but butterflies play a very important role in forest life cycle & a greater number of them, is a healthy sign of the forest, which we are lucky to have!

Btw, coming back to tadoba (sorry folks), can’t finish without sharing this one…

We knew he was around somewhere as his kill had been hidden in the bushes nearby. Our guide has seen him in the morning safari, it's typical of Mamla buffer terrain, dense foliage covering ground & he could be anywhere, sleeping leisurely. We circled the narrow roads for hours, now it's near dark as its winter in Tadoba, we haven't lost the hopes & a deep growling filled the surrounding! Usually, a tiger never growls in the forest unless on mating but here it meant, The King has awakened & warned to the forest that he is coming for his meal, so give him way, is what the growling said! Yet, no sign of him & we waited on the road between the growling & the kill & from behind our gipsy he emerged, in low light the orange eyes were glowing like two torches burning bright, that’s Raka, Mamala buffer’s young King!

To conclude, do mind, only when you start visiting forests in every season then you realize what a wonderful gift god has given us in the forms of wildlife & do mind every gift is a responsibility too, of which we are supposed to take care & protect, so is the forests; adios with this note! Wish you a very Happy, Green & Wild New Year 2026!

View more such moments at the Flickr link along…

https://www.flickr.com/photos/coexistance_is_the_key/albums/72177720331036784/

Sanjay Deshpande

smd156812@gmail.com

Sanjeevani Dev.

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