KABINI .. The word spells MAGIC

Kabini (ಕಬಿನಿ )....the word spells magic to me. Kabini, also called Kabani and Kapila, is a river of Southern India. It originates in the Wayanad District of Kerala state from the confluence of the Panamaram River and the Mananthavady River, and flows eastward to join the Kaveri River at Tirumakudalu Narasipura in Karnataka, which empties into the Bay of Bengal. This is a land of myths, legends, history and pristine wilderness. A place where sages and Gods sought and found refuge.

The Kabini Forest Reserve is one of the most popular wildlife destinations of Karnataka, probably because of its accessibility, lush green landscape surrounding a large lake. It is 80 km away from Mysore and 205 km from Bangalore, and comprises the south-eastern part of Nagarahole National Park. (Check the Route map at the end of the Blog)

Situated on the banks of the Kabini River, the reserve is spread over 55 acres of forestland, steep valleys, and water bodies. Once a private hunting lodge of the Maharaja of Mysore, Kabini was a popular shikar hotspot for British Viceroys and Indian royalty. Now it is considered to be one of the best wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka, famous for its spectacular wildlife and bird life.

For the last 8 years this place has attracted me and I am ready to pack my bag and leave the moment I hear the magical word. In this blog I would like to share some of the FIRSTS which I experienced at Kabini. I am hopeful that you shall enjoy this journey with me. 

FIRST CAT SIGHTING: 

For six years I had not seen a wild cat at any jungle leave alone Kabini. People who came to Jungle lodges always spoke about Leopard (Panthera pardus) sightings and I used to feel the angst and prayed to every possible God to realise this dream. They said Kabini is a place where Leopards grow on trees. For the first time we had a unique group of friends who got together for this trip. Incidentally each one had already had a cat sighting in their previous trips and I was the odd man out. 

The safari did start with the usual anxiety and excitement. It was a fantastic cool evening that December and could sense that our prayers might be answered. We encountered a group of Gaur and plenty of alarm calls from Sambar deer and Langurs. This was clear sign of Predators on the prowl. Nothing at all and we were winding the safari at around 5:30 pm. I was cursing my luck and did not want this to be the 8th consecutive safari without a cat sighting. At that point our naturalist, known popularly as Billi Catcher for obvious reasons asked the driver the take a detour to try our luck. The driver turned the gypsy around and at a distance we could see some animal approaching us in the center of the road. 

Afsar (Billi Catcher)

With fading light we were too excited when we realized it was in fact our Spotted friend.... all he'll broke loose. We went on a rampage clicking the picture of this handsome make walking towards the jeep. I fortunately checked the images I shot and found them really dark. In that moment I was confused if I need to shoot or just admire the magnificent beast walk towards us. But then I did some quick adjustment and got this shot. None of us had seen such a bold Leopard and he walked so close that he was at an arms distance and with my 100 - 400 lens I could hardly get his full body shot.We returned back to the Jungle Lodge all excited and that night the drink was on me. One person in my team was not too happy as he could not manage a single image. Reason being accidentally the mode had shifted to manual mode and all the images were severely under exposed and could not be recovered. This was a learning for all of us and we need to double check the mode you are on. 

FIRST TIGER SIGHTING: (This is Super Special)

With the high of having my first leopard sighting we were just crossing our fingers for the special one.. none other than the Royal Bengal Tiger to give us a glimpse. I had crossed all my fingers and was hoping to just have a glimpse.. taking a picture did not even cross of my mind. We started off from Jungle Lodges, Kabini by the 3:30 PM stipulated time and there was a lot of excitement in air. But all that died down when our jeep failed to leave when the rest had already left. Frustration mounted when we realized that they were waiting for some newly married couple who are yet to report of Gol Ghar (the spot where we gather for briefings and hot chai with biscuits before we leave for safaris) to register for the safari. Post 15 minutes we picked the couple who seemed to be blissfully unaware of all our angst and happily mounted the jeep with a point and shoot camera.

We had our trusted "Billi Catcher" as naturalist this time around too. As a matter of fact I have been fortunate to have this naturalist with me on almost 95% of my safaris at Kabini. 

We just entered the gate signing the register. Hopes were low as we were the last to enter the forest gates. We were generally chatting.. some of us had not even switched on the cameras.. but somehow my instinct asked me switch on my camera. I had a 300 F2.8 lens with a 2x convertor and was hopeful of a decent shot. We crossed those initial shrubs when our Naturalist asked the driver to stop the vehicle. These are moments which make us jump in our seats in anticipation and the other time is when we here alarm calls by prey animals. 

Then next word he said made me go numb. He mentioned, “I see some STRIPES get back”. The jeep wheeled back slightly and deep inside those bushes was a fantastic Female Tigress resting. It’s a classic big cat pose and we started clicking. Some of us froze in the moment and failed to get a shot. That’s what a Tiger sighting does. It was a magical moment and this first sighting has a special place in my heart even after seeing 17 tigers in the wild since then. The moment was over in 7 seconds flat as she got up and went deep inside the forest ! Just adding an additional image of my second tiger sighting again with the same naturalist. This time it was even more special as I had my 5 year old daughter with me. It was pouring when I took this shot lying down on the roof top of the jeep which covers the driver s seat.

MY FIRST HEAD-ON TIGER SIGHTING

The first timers luck was with us big time on this safari. June 2014 and 5 of my colleagues wanted to come to Kabini to see the tiger as most of them want to. I did not disclose to them that my last 7 safaris had gone DRY. When I say dry I am not referring to the DRY day we have on Gandhi Jayanti but. It means no cat sightings. But that morning there was hope. There was a fine drilzzle and it had poured for hours the previous night. We were at the fag end of the safari when the sun showed up. Coincidentally it was the same naturalist Afsar alias Billi Catcher whom I had insisted to be with us. We blindly trust his instincts. We took an abondoned 5 km stretch which was the earlier link between the states of Kerala and Karnataka. On the far side of the road we saw something shiny and yellow. We got all excited as it looked exactly like the big feline but post seeing through my view finder we realized it was a deer... The mood was not great and the group started sulking with just few minutes for the safari to close. That's when I heard TIGER TIGER .... By partner next to me went berserk as we saw two ears pop up the far side of the road. Then the majestic walk of the Mastiguudi male. He saw us and just slowly melted into the greens of the forest. These are moments which take us back to the jungles time and again.

Tiger with a FLEHMEN Response !!

The flehmen response, also called the flehmen position, flehmen reaction, flehming, orflehmening, is a behaviour whereby an animal curls back its upper lips exposing its front teeth, inhales with the nostrils usually closed and then often holds this position for several seconds. It may be performed over a site or substance of particular interest to the animal (e.g. urine or faeces) or may be performed with the neck stretched and the head held high in the air. Flehmen is performed by a wide range of mammals including ungulates and felids. The behaviour facilitates the transfer of pheromones and other scents into the vomeronasal organ located above the roof of the mouth via a duct which exits just behind the front teeth of the animal.

FIRST WILD-DOG SIGHTING

One of the safaris I had gone with my family we had this thrilling experience. They always say at Kabini its easier to sight a leopard but the Wild Dogs or Dhole (Cuon alpinus) are hard to find. The dholes are classed as endangered due to ongoing habitat loss, depletion of its prey base, competition from other predators, persecution and possibly diseases from domestic and feral dogs.

The dhole is a highly social animal, living in large clans which occasionally split up into small packs to hunt. It primarily preys on medium-size animals, which it hunts by tiring them out in long chases, and kills by disemboweling them. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhole)

We had a very quite safari till then and it was early morning and the sun rays had just started to kiss the canopy when I heard my driver say Wild Dogs. We saw a couple of them emerging from the thicket and were really thrilled and stopped the vehicle. For some reason the vehicle would not start. Well it did excite me that we were in the middle of no where with the Wild Dogs. Soon the actual pack size came to light. There were all in all 12 dogs and I guess the Alpha Female came pretty close to our jeep sniffing the tyres. I had never seen them so close. They are usually shy animals and avoid human interface. 

There were some internal signals the dogs have and they communicate very effectively. I soon realized they were sizing us up. Were we potential prey to them .. well could be. But we just started to get the creeps as our vehicle would not start and we are surrounded by a pack of 12 Wild Dogs in the middle of no where. Hats off to the brave Kabini Staff and the driver managed to get down and fix the minor issue. The picture above is when the dogs started to leave us once they heard the engine roar. One fellow who is looking back surely looks disappointed after losing several potential meals. 

Some more Images from Kabini!!!

Two Tigers in a Frame

Elephant Charging

Tiger Cub

Kabini has a rich variety of Flora and Fauna.. Even though you are not assured of a wild cat sighting every time, you are bound to get surprised by the rest of the fauna present in those dense jungles.

Huge credit must go to the tireless staff of Jungle Lodges who take good care of you when you are around and also are equipped with one of the best Naturalists. Without them the sightings would not happen. Also the forest department has done a commendable job to restrict poaching, forest fires and other illegal activities. The restriction of traffic through the inter state road during night also has helped the free movement of animals who constantly cross across these roads to reach other side of the forest range. 

Leopard 

Malabar Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica)

Some of the Recognitions:

RANVATA and MIDEarth used my Kabini images to advertise their Exhibition as well as showcased my images in Maharasthra !!!

http://www.ranvata.in/photogallery

HOW TO GET THERE:

Photo Credits: Krishna Prasad N (KP)

Places to Stay around Kabini !!

Best place to stay

http://www.junglelodges.com/kabini-river-lodge

Other Options:

http://www.theserai.in/resorts-kabini

http://redearthkabini.in/Thank you!!

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