Gir
After many days of anxiety and just a day before we were to
reach the place we were finally given confirmation of our reservations at the
Sinh Sadan, arguably the most sought-after
place in Gir for the budget traveler. The rest was a piece of cake
because they (at the safari reservation office) give preference to the guests
at Sinh Sadan. We went on two safaris and what memorable ones they turned out
to be!!
The first one – evening – was very good with sightings of a
lion and then two lionesses though they were all happily dozing with dozens of
people gaping at them. The real prize was just a half hour before the trip
ended when we rounded a steep bend in the track with my constant refrain of ‘I
want to see a leopard’ when lo and behold, right in front of us barely a dozen yards
away was this handsome male, seconds away from making a kill. He had his eyes
on this little fawn which seemed to have lost its mom… Unfortunately for the
leopard, the disturbance from a couple of gypsies full of tourists diverted his
attention for that split second allowing the fawn to get away.
All photographs are courtesy my partner...
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| The Leopard |
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| Waiting for the kill |
The next morning saw us all padded up with layers upon
layers to counter the bone-chilling cold of the morning safari… not to much
avail. We were practically frozen in our seats!! The guide for this safari, a
different fellow from the last one, was very proactive… so much so that I got
uncomfortable when his comments showed blatant disregard to rules… Fortunately,
there was no occasion during the drive to forestall his enthusiasm before he
strayed into no-no territory! Usually the non-dominant lions are loners and the
lionesses raise the cubs in prides with just a single dominant male. This
probably being courting season, we were lucky to come upon not just one but two
pairs of lions out courtingJ
It all would have been wonderful except the fact that we had a lion and a
lioness walk within a metre of the gypsy... almost giving me a heart attack!
And all this right on the main track! These big cats are not to be trifled
with… one realizes their raw strength, the potential danger and
unpredictability only up close. Till then, the thrill of a sighting overpowers
all caution.
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| Marking his territory |
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| The Lioness... |
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| Up close.... too close!! |
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| Courting!! |
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| The King of the Jungle |
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| Spotted deer - female |
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| Spotted Deer - male |
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| Sambhar - Male |
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| The little one - Spotted Deer |
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| The cattleherd's Camel from one of the two villages within the forest |
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| Collared Scops Owl |
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| Yellow crowned Woodpecker |
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| Brown capped pygmy Woodpecker |
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| Yellow footed green Pigeon |
All the same, the two safaris left us spellbound and very
much under the spell of this unique forest and it’s denizens!! Hats off to
Gujarat for its enviable record at Gir which probably is the strictest reserve
I have seen for any big cats... and I have seen many. I hope the other (read
TIGER) reserves take a leaf out of its book too. May the lions keep roaring and
the leopards thriving out there…….
