Magical Kabini – Stress buster

Disclaimer: This write up is my personal opinion and it does not endorse or market trips to this forest

The normal sounds of the forest is suddenly shattered by the alarm call of the forest watcher “Langurs” and the chorus taken up by the spotted deer’s indicating movement of a predator within the thick bushes along the path and suddenly there seems to be flurry of activities breaking the tranquility that was prevailing till then. The herd of deer’s all of them alert with their tails up looking toward the possible predator movement.

It could be the big cats Leopard or the Tiger moving about the forest. If Sambar deer gives out an alarm call then we can be sure it is a Tiger in most cases. If the naturalist is able to pinpoint the exact spot of the alarm call then we will be able to sight the predator as it comes out in open. Many a times we have been concentrating on the herd of the deers and the predators have circled and crossed the safari path behind the vehicle thereby missing head on images. The adrenaline that rushes through your body during such times and the thrill you get is something to be experienced and I would be doing injustice describing it in words. Once you are hooked on then you would want to get this feeling time and again. You can experience such feelings and thrills only at Kabini unlike other reserves in India and this is the reason why I keep going to Kabini on a regular basis and not to any other reserves or sanctuary in North India where  tiger sightings are quite common and that too in large numbers.

During the recent trip to Nagarhole forest one of my face book friend whom I met there asked if I have visited other wildlife reserves in other parts of India and my response was no since I visit only Kabini, Bandipur and Mudumalai reserves in addition to Nilgiris biosphere in all my trysts into the nature for last so many years.  He was pretty surprised with my response for he was under the impression that we visit the forests for capturing the images of wildlife. Yes that is collateral but that is not the only reason!!!! 

Currently this forest has a Black leopard or melanistic leopard or two residing in the tourism area and there has been high influx of wildlife photographer to sight and capture image of this black beauty. Recently it has been sighted quite often though the first sighting of this was nearly 18 months back.. In addition we do have the tigers, leopards, elephants in large herds, wild dogs or the dholes and other wildlife to make your tryst into the forest a real interesting experience. It is said that you have to be at the right place at the right time to catch the action as it unfolds and all of us try to be there when it happens.

So my friends this is why i keep going there time and again to Nagarhole