Tiger 10
The tigers in Sariska are tagged so the rangers know approximately where they are at any given time. Number Six was said to be “just over that hill”, so we headed in that direction. No sign. Just as we were turning round to go out of the park, we met a tourist jeep who claimed to have seen him, so the guide told us to “hold on tight” and we set off at break neck speed up the hill. Sure enough, there behind the trees was a tiger. You could only just about make him out through the foliage.
After a couple of minutes the tiger got up and started walking along, bored with lying camouflaged in the jungle. The driver anticipated where he would come out on the road, and he was right.
Without a single glance at our Jeep, the tiger nonchalantly walked along the road, where we followed him for several minutes. Occasionally he would stop and sniff (smell the flowers?) or mark his territory.
Around the last bend we spotted a man (possibly a ranger) on foot in the road ahead. We tried to signal to him to go back, but he was taking no notice of us, nor had he seen the tiger. Then the tiger spotted him too, and the driver shouted as loud as I have ever heard any man shout, with the rest of us joining in for good measure. That did the trick - it scared both the man and the tiger. The man ran off and the tiger turned to see where the noise came from and automatically made a charge. The driver slammed the car into reverse, but the tiger changed his mind and jumped back up into the jungle again. Just as well as we were only about 20 metres away at this time, in an open Jeep.
We could still see him in amongst the trees, and followed him as far as we could before he went further into the jungle, heading for the waterhole; and we rushed off to get to the gates before they closed at 18:00.
What an exciting afternoon!
Tiger 10
The tigers in Sariska are tagged so the rangers know approximately where they are at any given time. Number Six was said to be “just over that hill”, so we headed in that direction. No sign. Just as we were turning round to go out of the park, we met a tourist jeep who claimed to have seen him, so the guide told us to “hold on tight” and we set off at break neck speed up the hill. Sure enough, there behind the trees was a tiger. You could only just about make him out through the foliage.
After a couple of minutes the tiger got up and started walking along, bored with lying camouflaged in the jungle. The driver anticipated where he would come out on the road, and he was right.
Without a single glance at our Jeep, the tiger nonchalantly walked along the road, where we followed him for several minutes. Occasionally he would stop and sniff (smell the flowers?) or mark his territory.
Around the last bend we spotted a man (possibly a ranger) on foot in the road ahead. We tried to signal to him to go back, but he was taking no notice of us, nor had he seen the tiger. Then the tiger spotted him too, and the driver shouted as loud as I have ever heard any man shout, with the rest of us joining in for good measure. That did the trick - it scared both the man and the tiger. The man ran off and the tiger turned to see where the noise came from and automatically made a charge. The driver slammed the car into reverse, but the tiger changed his mind and jumped back up into the jungle again. Just as well as we were only about 20 metres away at this time, in an open Jeep.
We could still see him in amongst the trees, and followed him as far as we could before he went further into the jungle, heading for the waterhole; and we rushed off to get to the gates before they closed at 18:00.
What an exciting afternoon!