The Hindu Business Line : Vulnerable, but Bandhavgarh thrills

A favourite tiger book for this writer is Wild Tigers of Ranthambhore written by Valmik Thapar with some of the best colour pix shot by Fateh Singh Rathore. From 1976 to 1980, Valmik visited Ranthambhore frequently "but finding tigers or watching them was the most difficult thing to do. Looking back, it is like another era. Most people who visit Ranthambhore today do see tigers — you can see them on the first drive, in the park — and cannot comprehend that 20 years ago just seeing a pug mark or tiger scat was a great source of celebration. It was only in 1980 that I saw a tiger drinking water — tigers were invisible during those years, wary and frightened of man."

Rathore saheb and Valmik were lucky to see tigers during the day. In the last five years, tigers have turned scarce at most tiger sanctuaries and the latest CAG report has little praise for Project Tiger. We were lucky to spend time with Bhola in Kanha Tiger Sanctuary but we were not so sure of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

A naturalist at Kanha had assured us that tiger sighting is easy in Bandhavgarh. Our luck held on the first morning when we went round the Park in our open Gypsy.

Driving along at the mandatory 20 km speed, we saw at least four Gypsies lined along the path with a crowd of foreigners focusing their cannon-like lenses at some point in the forest. The spot is called Vulture nest. We inched our way into the tiny space behind the line of vehicles.

One saw a tiger rolling on its back with its feet up (this writer could see only the legs) and a second tiger nudging it. Apparently, the first visitors saw four tigers sharing a sambhar kill and by the time we made it, two had left. One was desperate to have a good view and thanks to the tourist in a vehicle in front of us who asked me to cross over.

Touching the forest floor is banned and one had to jump two vehicles to have a glimpse of the tiger play. The animal stood up, walked off for a moment, came back and flopped on the forest floor, staring at us. Through the binoculars one had a good sighting of the two-year-old, firmly muscled fellow, about 9 ft. in length with a massive head.

Sub-editors working on newspapers sometimes talk of copies, which cannot be improved upon. They just let it go. It is too good, they remark.

That applies to tigers, in general, and the three we saw (two at Bandhavgarh and one at Kanha). This species cannot be edited or perfected anymore. Designing cannot be faulted. It is immaculate in conception. The animal dominates the consciousness like the Bandhavgarh Fort atop the Bandhavgarh hill, in the centre of the Park.

Going by information downloaded from Sanctuary, the fort was the base for the rulers of the Rewa State till they shifted to Rewa town in 1617 A.D. "The area of the Reserve, with its surrounding forests were the favourite hunting grounds of the erstwhile rulers and were zealously protected as such," says the Sanctuary site.

Maharaja Martand Singh of Rewa proposed an area of 105 sq. km as a National Park in 1965. The area of the Park was raised to 448.84 sq. km in 1982. Presently, the core area is 624.752 sq. km with the buffer zone being 536.719 sq. km.

Section 35 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, allows the State Government to notify an area as a National Park to provide the legal basis for ensuring protection.

However, the CAG Report has found that "in many Tiger Reserves, the final declaration procedures of National Park (core) and Sanctuary (buffer) were pending even as of March 2006 even though the amended Wildlife (Protection) Act 2003 set a time limit for completion of acquisition proceedings."

The final notification has not been issued for Bandhavgarh, which means anyone can do anything. The moist deciduous forests (with sal and bamboo dominating) and animals are unsafe.

Driving around, one saw two to three ft. tall stone piles separating the forests from the villages.

Earlier, there was a refreshment area at Centre Point which was shifted a month or so ago to the fringes. One can see temporary stalls offering tea, coffee and other eats packed in plastic, run by villagers.

"Sham ko, hum log ye plastic ko jala dethe hain (In the evening we burn the plastic)," said a vendor. An official board states in English: Spot the Difference: between forests, villages and the stonewall.

Two black topped roads — Umaria-Rewa and Parasi-Katni via Khitauli cut through the reserve.

On the way back we had a view of a common kestrel before some 10 to 11 wild boars (of all sizes) served a merry laugh. Father, mother, uncles, aunts and kids formed the crowd as they went digging the earth with their snouts while registering a small protest flagging their wisp-like tails.

One has never understood the creative urge behind the tail of a wild boar. Surprisingly, one did not come across any guards doing their beats in either Kanha or Bandhavgarh. At first sight, Bandhavgarh looks enticing. Yet one is not sure.

The Project Tiger Directorate, in September 2001, had issued orders to submit monthly reports relating to mortality of tigers, co-predators and other wild animals by the 15th of every month.

"However, during 2000-05, Manas, Indravati, Bandipur, Bhadra, Melghat, Tadoba-Andhari, Pench (Maharashtra), Simlipal, Pench (Madhya Pradesh), Bandhavgarh and Panna tiger reserves had not submitted any such reports," says the CAG.

To be fair, we did note a large number of tiger pugmarks in the evening.

(To be continued)

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