In the Jungle

The King  Panther's moon A glassy domain Habitat Strength of the reserve Blue skies always  Examining his realm Stalking Golden sunrise  The bather and the 'bathee' Camouflage Sal delight Stretch Silhouette  Gentleness is not defined by size  Grace The protector Tiger tree Sunset And we can smell the rain Rain dance  Signs Spot on The wait  The result

Tracking is an art. Tiger tracking, is the most patient form of art. It draws sweat, considerbale amount of flies, sunburn, hunger and frustration. But when you spot the striped divinity, you know it was all worth it and for the drivers and guides of a reserve it is an everyday affair. It all usually starts early in the morning in any tiger reserve (which has safaris of course), with the driver and guides feverishly scouring the forest floor for pug marks, scat or even flattened Earth (indicating a tiger resting spot) to understand where they should begin the process of tracking le tigris. "Pugmark raat ka hai, male chala gaya area se" is what our guide opens the tour with. Alarm calls are of course the sure giveaways but if it's a chital (spotted deer) that is  responsible for the alarm call, you can't be too sure that it is indicative of cat movement. "Buddhu banate hain yeh chital" spits a driver in disgust while another claims that chital call even w