No doubt Tigers have lost their habitat due to the greedy humans, Today the tigers are facing an uphill task for survival. With alarming news coming from Sariska that all tigers in the park have been poached, and the whistle has been blowen for Panna national park, not so far from Bandhavgarh. These are worrying times for tigers for no fault of theirs. But knowing how resilient they are, it is a matter of time they will bounce back in these two parks provided some things are looked into by the park management.
Somehow Bandhavgarh has been an exception to this onslaught so far. The Tigers here have had little trouble compared to their cousins in some other National Parks. I am not trying to say that the situation here is completely under control, there have been some odd case that one hears once in a while but the efforts towards conservation here have met more success relatively. What is it that has kept Bandhavgarh tigers protected? Tourism? Maybe, but that is a topic for another day.
The most common question that most of our clients ask before booking is whether they will be able to see the Tiger in the Wild. Our answer to them has been consistent and i.e, “Include Bandhavgarh in your itinerary, give yourself a minimum 3 nights stay, get a good naturalist and you will satiate your desires of seeing tigers. Chances that you will see a Tiger here in 2 nights are good as well, but 3 nights kind of assures your chances. Nobody would and should guarantee a Tiger sighting, but a 3 nights stay here with our naturalists can get you real close to the possibility of seeing these felines”. Yes, it is an effort to get to Bandhavgarh, but no pain no gain as someone had said. So if you want to see the Tigers in the Wild then there is no better place than Bandhavgarh, make the effort and we will leave no stone unturned to make it a real possibility for you.
Below is the tiger update the Tiger population in Bandhavgarh.
The detailed breakup of the same is as follows:
B2, Male, age 9 years : Entire tourism zone, he is a dominant male, is seen about twice a week on an average, as he covers the entire tourism zone, so his sightings have reduced over last 2 years, also there has been a considerable amount of change in behavior of B2, he has started to frequent the neighboring villages, picks up an cattle, remains out of the park for 3-4 days and then returns to patrol his territory. He is big, majestic, and a treat to watch when he walks. Absolutely unperturbed by the vehicles, and the tourists he walks like a Lord of the Jungle. our naturalist has a special rapport with B2, he has had innumerable close encounters with the King.
Male, a.k.a, Bokha, Age 5 years : He is the second dominant male in the tourism zone, occupies the southern area of the park, and a bit of western as well. B2 has had one encounter with him when Bokha tried to get into the central areas of the tourist zone, he made a hasty retreat and went back to his southern territory, B2 also let him be there. As on date he is certainly no match for the power of B2, but he has shown promise, and is shaping up quite well, and it is predicted that they might have another encounter anytime. He is rather easy to recognize, his lower canine is broken. He is normally seen about 2-3 times in a week.
Female, age 4 years, with 2 cubs (1 male, 1 female, age 12 months) : This is the first litter of this Tigress. The cubs are growing up well, are not very shy, and seen about 4 times a week minimum by Jeep and elephants.
Female, age 4 years, with 2 cubs (5-6 months old, gender not known yet) : She is the sister of Jhurjhura female, same litter, and this is her first litter also. Is seen about 4-5 times in a week by a Jeep. She likes to sit in the tall grass in patches of water only about 10 meters of the road, leaves her cubs in the cave often, and once a while cubs are also seen crossing the road along with her. our driver has a special liking for the cubs and he really enjoys tracking them down and showing them to the tourists, slightly shy as still young but very cute.
Female, age 10 years, with 3 cubs (of only 3-4 months, gender not known yet) : She has had a litter of 4 cubs always, this is the second time only that she has given a litter of 3 cubs. These cubs are a delight to watch when they are trying to hide between the legs of their mother. She is confident and wants her cubs to overcome the fear of tourists, but I guess it will come with age. A sad part to this particular Tigress has been, that she is an expert mother, raises her cubs very well, but once grown her cubs move on, and are not normally seen again in the tourism zone. There are reasons attached to the same, one her territory is on the eastern fringes of the park, the cubs move on and they at times move on to the adjoining ranges or the neighboring villagers do not normally like the big Tigers around them, so what happens to these cubs when they grow up is not something I would want to imagine. Is seen about 4-5 times a week with cubs.
Female, age 10 years, with 4 cubs (17-18 months, 2 males and 2 females) : This Tigress is the same litter as Banvai Tigress, with cubs shaping up well, she is the current heartthrob and has spellbound the tourists who cross this most beautiful meadow called Chakradhara. The Tigress is named after the meadow which she has made her home. Practically daily you would see her or her cubs from Jeep and Elephant. Come as many tourists and her family obliges with some good photographs. The reason their sighting is the best in Bandhavgarh is that her meadow has lots of water in the undergrowth, plus the Charan Gnga river flows peacefully close by, hence the prey base in this area is among the largest in the park. So she does not have to move around too much for food and water.
Patiya female, age 5-6 years, with a fresh litter, not seen by anyone yet : She has recently graduated 2 males, about 6 months back. They left the mother and have now separated. Her territory is among the most scenic areas in Bandhavgarh, to get the feel of a safari in a thick bamboo forest you must take Jagat our resident naturalist here to give you a feel of adventure. Not more than 2-3 Jeeps visit this area in a week as it is at the southern most border of the park, it adjoins Magdhi range, which is a beautiful range, perhaps more beautiful and peaceful compared to the Tala range. It is our endeavor to show this range of most of our clients who have the inclination.
Patiya, 2 Males, about 2 years of age : Have recently separated from their mother and are in the process of finding their own territory. For last 3-4 months they have been hunting, walking and patrolling together. Quite a sight when you get to see both of them together. Normally seen twice a week only.
Female, 5 years age : She has had no litter yet, and is normally found in the Mahammen and Thodi area, which is the south western part of the park. She has mated twice with Challenger, and once with Bokha but has not conceived yet.
The above data has been compiled by our naturalists, and the undersigned and will be regularly updated. We are in the process of doing the family tree of tigers of Bandhavgarh, you should see the same sometime shortly.
