Here be wild things

The jeep stopped and we sat still for a moment in surprised silence. Then, as if by an unspoken command, we lifted our cameras in unison and started clicking. Two professional photographers, armed with bazooka-like lenses, noisily fired away their cameras. The four dholes, or Asian wild dogs, were so close that I didn&rsquot need any fancy lens to get clear, full-frame photographs. I was on safari with seven tourists and photographer Arati in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Karnataka.

Two dogs circled us while two lay down on the grass in full view, like celebrities so used to media attention they could pretend we didn&rsquot exist. The dholes&rsquo reddish coats stretched tight over their bloated bellies and their round ears swivelled at the slightest sound. One of the circlers whistled and the rest of the pack trotted off. Unlike other members of the canid family, dholes whistle they don&rsquot bark or howl.

The dogs ran lightly despite their distended stomachs, and vanished into the forest. We had only been thirty minutes into our safari when we encountered the pack, not a bad start for an off-season visit to Bandipur.

The forest was lush green from recent rains. But nothing could resurrect the bamboo that had flowered en masse and died a few years ago. It will be many moons before Bandipur&rsquos elephants taste bamboo again.

As we bounced along the rutted dirt track, all of us probably had the same question in mind &mdash would we see a tiger Huge pugmarks, the size of my hand, were imprinted deeply into the soft wet track. Lantana, a thorny plant from Central America, formed a green curtain, as high as fifteen feet in some places, on either side of the road throughout most of the park. Many pairs of eyes, tucked out of sight within the tangle of weeds, watched us drive by. If we were to see a tiger, it would have to be in plain sight on the track or the wide grassy verge.

When the British brought lantana to India to adorn their gardens in the 1800s, little did they realize they were sowing the seeds of an empire that would outlast their own. By the late nineteenth century, the ornamental plant escaped captivity and become a pestilence in forests and village commons. All attempts to eradicate the botanical scourge were a failure. Parthenium and eupatorium, other plants from foreign shores, have also set root in Bandipur. Despite being overrun by these noxious inedible weeds, the park, paradoxically, packs one of highest densities of herbivores in the world.

The rains had awakened glory lilies from dormancy. Their curly-tipped leaves clung to bushes as the creepers made their way toward light and burst into bloom. The bright red, earth-facing flowers glowed like jewels against the deep green forest. Despite every part of these plants being virulently poisonous, their scientific name celebrates the beauty of the flowers with a double affirmative &mdash Gloriosa superba. Mysore argyreia&rsquos large, purple, trumpet-shaped flowers competed with the glory lilies for our appreciation.

Minutes passed and when no more animals made an appearance, I grew aware of the toll the rutted dirt track was taking on my behind. I was seated on the last and highest seat in the three-tiered safari jeep. While it offered an almost 360º view of the forest, it bounced the most. I sat on my hands to relieve the soreness. Just then we suddenly came upon a lone, pregnant elephant.

Even though we were a good distance away, she trumpeted and ran with her tail raised in alarm. Then she wheeled around and mock-charged. A newly married woman sitting next to me shrieked, closed her eyes tight, and gripped her husband. When her bluff didn&rsquot work, the elephant picked up a leaf with her trunk and swatted the air. That trick didn&rsquot chase us away either, so she walked into the lantana, which then swallowed her up.

A few minutes later, we caught a quick glimpse of another elephant with her calf before they hid in the bushes. Bandipur&rsquos elephants aren&rsquot usually this shy, and I wondered if perhaps pregnancy and having young ones made them feel vulnerable.

As we climbed higher up a hill slope toward a fire watchtower, the trees grew stunted. Above us, a lone sambhar stag posed in silhouette, proudly holding his head of antlers aloft. From this vantage, the deciduous forests of Mudumalai stretched out below us and many ranges of the blue Nilgiri mountains created a wavy horizon.

We clicked pictures of the panorama until our time was up. We headed back through a sharp torrential rain, the canvas top of the jeep keeping us almost dry. Earlier this year, the park had been horrendously parched and many feared for the survival of its denizens. The belated rains filled all the waterholes and animals were not huddled around a few puddles anymore. Good for beasts and forest, but sad for tourists hoping for a wildlife extravaganza.

I wondered how Arati, who was at the front of the jeep, was faring. Light was flat, skies cloudy, and animal life scarce. Seeing dholes early on our safari made me greedy for more. But the maxim of a forest safari is &mdash there are no guarantees. That evening at the Windflower Tusker Trails Resort, the staff rued we hadn&rsquot seen a tiger. We had come at the wrong time, they said.

Gajendra Singh and his wife, Vishalakshi Devi, the youngest daughter of the late Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, the last ruler of the princely state of Mysore, set up Tusker Trails in the mid-1990s. The park had once been her family&rsquos hunting reserve. A few years ago, the Windflower Group took over the resort on a thirty-year lease. Twenty-two terracotta-tile roofed cottages were set amid five acres of native trees, the most common being the red gum-oozing axlewood.

Gajendra Singh explained that the trees had been cut before they bought the property and the re-growth was only twenty years old. &ldquoNothing browses on these trees, and nothing gnaws on them,&rdquo he said. &ldquoThat&rsquos why they&rsquore so successful.&rdquo

The resort is unfenced on two sides and wild animals wander in freely after dark. Gajendra said, &ldquoWe have had every animal come through except tigers.&rdquo

A troop of bonnet macaques wandered around the resort, picking insects from the grass, walking on the cottage roofs and looking for handouts from guests. At meal times, the monkeys sat on the wall of the dining room and patiently watched us eat.

Elephants wander up from the forest during the dry season to drink from the swimming pool wild boar root under the lantana hedge. A leopard once snatched a deer from the reception, knocking over a coffee table that remains broken to this day. The resort apparently has an unwritten timeshare agreement between humans and wildlife.

I asked, &ldquoAre guests safe&rdquo

General Manager Fazal replied, &ldquoAfter they check-in, they are given instructions on how to stay safe.&rdquo I witnessed a couple being briefed by a staff member in a manner akin to a stewardess explaining how to open the emergency exit on an aircraft.

At 10.30pm, the outdoor lights were doused. Guests were advised to retire to their rooms and not venture out even if they heard animal noises outside.

That night, while Arati photographed the swimming pool, she heard a tiger calling &lsquoaaauuummm&rsquo repeatedly. She hurried back to the restaurant. &ldquoI&rsquove heard tigers before but this was bone-chilling,&rdquo she said. &ldquoIt seemed so close.&rdquo We had seen tiger pugmarks right outside the resort gates earlier that evening.

At dawn the next morning, I startled a herd of spotted deer that had been silently grazing among the cottages. As the animals melted away among the trees, I took it as a good omen for wildlife viewing that day. At the hotel reception, everyone wished, &ldquoHope you see a tiger today.&rdquo It&rsquos the Bandipur way of saying, &ldquoHave a good day.&rdquo

Our first stop was at a gaur carcass, reduced to skin and bones, by the side of the road. The bovine had died of natural causes and two tigers had feasted on it for three days, said Natraj, the naturalist accompanying us. Now, a stripe-necked mongoose was looking for leftovers. Occasionally, it stood on its hind legs, scoping the terrain and us. Its orange eyes and Rudolf-like large red nose made it look like a demented clown.

Our driver stopped to confer with the driver of another safari jeep. Both said, &ldquoNo tigers. Saw only tracks.&rdquo On that discouraging note, we rolled forward. Freshly and clearly imprinted over the other jeep&rsquos tyre tread marks were the pugmarks of a tiger. He had waited until the track was clear before striding down. We had missed him by minutes. Natraj said the 880 sq km park has nearly a hundred tigers. If every one of those cats was as fastidious and secretive, what chance did we have of seeing one Especially when the jeep&rsquos engine announced our approach loud and clear

In an open clearing ahead of us, a herd of elephants gathered. As soon as we drove up, the giants crashed into the lantana. A couple of them trumpeted while one set up a high-pitched braying. All we could see were two trunks sniffing the air above the bushes. We backed up and waited. Minutes ticked by but the distress calls didn&rsquot abate nor did the elephants move. I feared a calf had been hurt badly.

In the end, we couldn&rsquot quite fathom what happened. When I mentioned this to Gajendra Singh later, he said, cryptically, &ldquoA cat must have been involved.&rdquo

I was still disturbed by the elephants&rsquo behaviour when we came upon a large herd of gaur. These wild cattle turned to go but stopped. They watched us over their broad backs, stamping their white-socked forelegs nervously. Unconvinced that we were harmless, they wandered off into the bushes, the mothers with calves leading the way. Last to leave was a one-tonne heavy, velvet black, muscle-rippling stud bull, the protector of his harem.

Why were they so shy But then, why would they want to be seen, if they could help it During the dry season, they have no choice because trees shed their leaves and visibility is greater. Someone said the department hadn&rsquot set out salt licks this season, so the animals were spread out through the forest. Or they were in neighbouring Mudumalai indulging their salt tooth.

We arrived at a cliff overlooking the Moyar Gorge. The unease I felt about the spooked animals disappeared at the sight of water cascading down below us. I sucked in the cool air sharply when I saw the steep slopes on either side with barely a foothold for an adventurous animal. Even lantana hadn&rsquot taken root here.

Back at the resort, I lowered my sore bum into a soft-cushioned chair. Throughout my forays into the jungle, I had to listen to the constant drone of the jeep&rsquos engine, grinding through slush and revving up slopes. I found birdsong and peace not in the forest but at the resort. Darting among the lantana thickets were white-eyes, ashy prinias, red-whiskered bulbuls, jungle babblers and white-throated fantail flycatchers. A grey mongoose came nosing around. On my badly scribbled list of creatures-we-saw were Oriental honey buzzard, crested serpent eagle, grey junglefowl with half-grown young, red spurfowl, jungle bush quail, Southern plains grey langurs, peacocks, sloth bear and barking deer. Seeing a tiger may rank as the pinnacle of wildlife-viewing experience but it was a joy to see these creatures of the forest.

I remained puzzled by the shy herbivores. In years past, they had been as nonchalant as the dholes. I pondered over Gajendra Singh&rsquos theory of how animals might perceive us. &ldquoWe think snakes are slimy and awful because they don&rsquot have fur. We are just as hairless as snakes. Imagine what other animals must think of us.&rdquo

When I looked up, the mongoose was gone.

The information

Getting there

The 880 sq km Bandipur National Park and Tiger Reserve is 80km from Mysore, also the nearest railhead and airport. All KSRTC buses en route to Ooty from Mysore stop at the entrance (ticket Rs 75). Windflower Tusker Trails is near Mangala village, located off the Mysore-Gudalur Road. Cabs charge approximately Rs 3,000 for the trip. It&rsquos a beautiful drive.

Where to stay

We stayed at the Windflower Resorts and Spa&rsquos Tusker Trails Bandipur, which has 22 air-conditioned suites (from Rs 10,500 full board for double occupancy, inclusive of taxes 08229-236055, thewindflower.com) and three studio rooms (from Rs 8,400 full board, including taxes), also air-conned.

Do it on a budget

Bandipur has a handful of expensive hotels and Windflower&rsquos rates compare well with them for what it offers but if you are here on a budget, try the Forest Department&rsquos nine cottages having 19 &lsquosuits&rsquo (from Rs 1,000 08229-236043/44/60, bandipurtigerreserve.in), located just inside the reserve. A dining hall serves simple vegetarian food. They recommend online reservation.

Then there&rsquos the state-owned Jungle Lodges and Resorts&rsquo simply outfitted Bandipur Safari Lodge (from Rs 5,000 per person per night, full board plus morning and evening safaris, forest entry fees and taxes, with a 5% discount on online bookings 080-40554055, junglelodges.com). It&rsquos located, unfortunately, on the main Mysore-Ooty highway.

What to see & do

Windflower&rsquos Rajesh leads easy, flat-ground, hour-long walks through community forests adjoining the reserve. Treks are free. Guided walks are also arranged to a tribal settlement near the Mangala village, to a nearby hill, and to the reservoir where deer gather to drink water at sundown in the summers.

The resort&rsquos Emerge Spa offers a range of Ayurvedic and Balinese treatments. There&rsquos a nice infinity pool and a well-equipped room for indoor games. Their open-air restaurant serves generous multi-cuisine buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Barbecues and bonfires are also arranged, as is private poolside dining.

Don&rsquot expect cellphone or wi-fi coverage, or TVs, at Windflower. The Bandipur Reception Centre has full coverage.

No private vehicles are allowed inside the reserve. A one-hour bus ride run by the Forest Department costs Rs 300 per person for Indians and Rs 1,100 for foreigners. Tickets can be bought at the Bandipur Reception Centre. Timings are not pre-announced but there are six runs every day during high season.

Jeep safaris of 90min duration are run by the government-owned Jungle Lodges and Resorts (Rs 1,250 for Indians Rs 2,300 for foreigners). Only 160 tourists are allowed into the park per day. For a morning safari (starting at 6.15am), reservations should be made by 7.30pm the previous eve

ning at the Windflower reception, and by 2.30pm for the evening (starting 3.15 pm) safari.