Welcome to Ranthambur National Park.
It has 26 tigers and 17 cubs living in its 40,000 square kilometers. Five tigers from this park were relocated to another park. Poachers killed all the tigers in the other park. Of the 5 transferred, one has been poisoned by a local villager because it was killing his livestock. There is tension between the villagers and the government's efforts to promote the population of the tiger. The government has a program in place which compensates villagers when a tiger kills one of the villager's animals, but it does not pay enough to make the villager whole. More and more people from the villages are now becoming educated (learning English in particular), thus enabling them to participate in tourism and benefit from the tiger population (and make more money than they would as farmers).
Jaguars and bears also reside here, as do 26 types of snakes including vipers and pythons.
Our touring mobile.
I'll get to the punch line--we didn't see any tigers. But it was fun tracking them down and knowing that they could be lurking behind any tree. We mostly tracked them by listening for noises from other animals, indicating that the tiger or another threat was nearby.
There are multiple trails through out the park. Our trail went through the territory of two male tigers and two tigresses, one of which is pregnant. The largest tiger in the park is 340 kg. He hangs out in the far corner of the park. The oldest tiger is 16 and she is one of the oldest tigers in India. The park monitors her ability to hunt successfully and will occasionally tie a small deer to a tree near her when she hasn't eaten in a dangerously long time. On average, tigers kill their prey in 1 out of 20 attempts.
Another famous tiger, nicknamed the crocodile killer, also lives in this park. This is one fierce tigress. She earned this nickname by killing a crocodile who was threatening her cubs. Tigers do not eat crocodiles but they do kill them to protect their cubs. I'm told if you search YouTube for "tigress kills crocodile" you can see an image of her in action. This same tigress also had 5 litters of cubs, whereas the average is three. She also maintained the lake area, a coveted and frequently fought over piece of land, as her territory for about 10 years. Her son is the tiger who now weighs 340 kg.
A male Samber deer. It is the end of rainy season and the deer are now growing their antlers. My guide, Mazhar, told me the deer grow their antlers in about 26 days. This time of year they are still mostly blood-filled. After they finish growing, the antlers will then harden. When they eventually fall off, the deer will keep the antlers near where they sleep and eat them to get calcium. The deer also eat the mineral rich soil.
The tigers typically hunt the Sambar deer because they are slow and have poor eyesight, making them great prey for the tigers.
Spotted deer also live here.
Oh hello, Mr Langur.
More langur monkeys. There were about 20 hanging out near one of the main gates.
There were also birds everywhere.
This one is a treepie. We also saw a crescent serpent eagle, about 8 peacocks and a long billed vulture who was circling after parakeets (also everywhere).
Not the best picture but enough to give you an idea about the parakeets.
A banyan tree located along another trial is 1,000 years old.
This one is about 300 years old.
After the safari, I headed back to the hotel to pack up and leave for Jaipur.
Outside the hotel I ran into a few pigs seeking shade under a car.
This marshy area we drove past had hundreds of birds.
View along the highway.
We stopped at Rajesh's favorite restaurant for some lunch. I can't seem to get enough tandoori chicken. I also ordered some vegetable briyani.
Our first stop in Jaipur was Galtaji, a holy city which to me, looked like the wild west of temples. The city has mostly been abandoned. Monkeys now out populate the yogis (holy men).
A yogi.
Another yogi.
View of the city from the top of the hill.
My favorite monkey. My guide is their caretaker.
I couldn't resist....
A little guy.
Rajesh invited me to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu new year and the festival of lights, at his friend's house in Jaipur.
Pooja, a young woman who lived in the house, showed me the traditions at the temple.
They were nice enough to let me participate in the Hindu ceremony at their home.
I needed some serious instruction and close oversight to make sure I didn't burn down their house.
We had a delicious vegetarian meal. Sweets are exchanged and consumed during Diwali. She made some rice, sweetened with milk, and mixed with coconut and nuts.
More sweets. These are made with cashews and walnuts.
Firecrackers continued throughout the night. Each home lights them in front of their home.
The shopkeepers and homeowners decorate with colored lights.
I headed to the hotel and crashed. The fireworks continued late into the night, but it seems I can sleep through anything. The hotel is very ornate. I'll take more pictures tomorrow.
Tomorrow we are touring Jaipur.
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Location:Ranthambur National Park, India
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