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Robin Richards travelled on our 'India - Tiger Direct!' holiday and submitted this entry to our writing competition.
Bengal Tiger, Kanha by Peter Adams
Tiger watching in Kanha National Park
The morning chill of Kanha National Park still clung in the air and, as the jeeps bounced along, we snuggled our necks deeper into our fleeces. We had seen a few Sambar Deer amongst the trees and a small heard of Gaur, those hulking Indian bison with viciously curving horns, the shoulders of a quarterback, and incongruously pale, almost white legs. Each beast had their own Cattle Egret in attendance, like a pageboy, stalking along behind feeding off the insects stirred up by its great hooves.
The jeeps crested a small rise and, ahead of us, pacing steadily down the track, surely the most evocative image of rural India, two elephant strolling in stately procession towards us. Their grey bulk filled the path, trunks swaying rhythmically as they walked with the mahouts, dressed in khaki shirts and pants sitting astride their necks. They stopped when they came abreast of the jeeps and there was a rapid exchange in Hindustani; we could only understand one word, ‘Tiger!’
With a tap from the mahout’s cane and a couple of gentle kicks from his bare feet, the giant pachyderms swung off the path and crashed upward through the brush, slotting in between the thickets of green and russet bamboo. Our guide turned around to us. ‘They have seen Tiger this morning. They will look on the hill above the path.’
It was as if someone had passed an electric charge through each of us. Tiger! We were going to see a Tiger. The pre-breakfast chill was forgotten and we reached for our binoculars and cameras. Lens caps were removed, apertures, ISO values and shutter speeds were checked, adjusted and re-checked. Our preparations were interrupted by a shout from the hillside. Astride his elephant one of the mahouts pointed off to the right then he swung his mount around and headed back to the road. His job was done; spotting a Tiger is one thing, flushing it quite another matter.
As the elephants moved away down the road the jeeps were manoeuvred into good viewing positions and, more importantly, to leave a wide gap, perhaps 150 metres between, so the Tiger could cross the road and not feel crowded. Then the waiting began.
There was silence in the jeeps except for the occasional creak of the suspension as one or another of us eased our cramping limbs. We watched the dense thickets of undergrowth with cameras at the ready like expectant paparazzi gathered at a red carpet event. Like the press-pack we were also seeking celebrity, a celebrity of the Royal Bengal kind. We scanned the bushes and trees for the merest hint of movement. No angler ever watched his float as closely as we watched those bushes. We had no way of knowing whether or not the Tiger would stroll down the hill and cross the road between our vehicles. Experienced nature watchers know how perverse wildlife can be. The Tiger could just as easily head uphill, away from us and into deeper jungle. In the silence, dried leaves falling from the teak trees crashed to the ground sounding like thunder to us. Then we heard him, a deep throated roar from perhaps 50 yards away, spine chilling, visceral. I felt the hair on my neck stand on end then he bounded out of the brush and onto the track. Lithe and slim, an athlete with a magnificent head, fierce dark eyes and teeth like rapiers. Burning bright in the morning sun, muscles rippling under that gold and black coat; the fearful symmetry!
Camera shutters rattled while, in two fluid strides, the Tiger had crossed the road and disappeared into the bushes at the far side scarcely disturbing a leaf. Pandemonium broke out in the jeeps.
‘Did you see him?’
‘Amazing!’
‘Worth waiting for.’
‘Almost fell out of the truck.’
‘Did you get him?’
‘Couldn’t focus.’
Camera screens were studied. Photos passed around. Everyone’s faces, even those of our guides, were wreathed in smiles. Every encounter with a Tiger is special. The jeeps bucked over the ruts kicking up dust and stones while we all held on, still we couldn’t stop grinning. Next stop breakfast. Chapattis, boiled eggs and hot tea, tastes so wonderful after meeting with a Tiger!
Read more about our 'India - Tiger Direct!' holiday.