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Tusker
Tusker at Mudumalai Wildlife Santuary, Tamil Nadu, India
This Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) is a tusker. Tusker are elephants with large 'tusks', like this one. Tusks are in fact teeth! It is rare to see these brilliant tuskers in the wild due to poaching for their ivory and loss of habitat. Within a space of few decades, these animals have been reduced in number. My uncles (who were legendary in their pursuit of fun and the good times) used to tell me numerous stories of their expereince in the jungles of South India from over half century ago; including their many encounters with wild tuskers. I have only their stories to go by now, for all my time in the forests I have yet to see a majestic tusker like this. Now, many of these tuskers are relegated to the temples of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
This friendly tusker can be found at the elephant work camp in Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary (in the north west part of Tamil Nadu along the border with Kerala). Elephant rides are provided for tourists in the morning and evening into the forest. It is unlikely you will see any wildlife while on these elephants; for better wildlife viewing opportunities one must go on dusk & dawn van rides, that are organized by the government, into restricted trails in the jungle. The elephant 'workcamp' employs tribals from the local area. When I got on one of these elephants, I shot question after question to the friendly mahout: Have you seen a tiger? Do you think we can see a tiger today? What are the chances of seeing a tiger today? Whoa, it will be so cool to see a tiger this morning right? He answered them patiently one after the other; he must have had experience with 'hyperactives'.
Then he told me a story of how long back one of the elephants carrying tourists got spooked by a wild elephants and suddenly decided to do a 50 meter dash -- along with the now-not-so-camera-happy tourists on his back. That episode, he told me, ended with a crushed leg for one (as the device people sit on came crashing down) and three other shaken, suddenly-religious, tourists. My questions to the mahout stopped immediately --as one couldn't ask questions and pray profusely at the same time. I asked good lord to resicnd my earlier request to see a wild elephant or a tiger for that matter; nothing that would spook the elephant. My prayers were answered: no wild elephants, no tigers and an uncrushed , perfectly working legs. What more can anyone want from a safari!:)
More pics later.
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Tusker
Tusker at Mudumalai Wildlife Santuary, Tamil Nadu, India
This Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) is a tusker. Tusker are elephants with large 'tusks', like this one. Tusks are in fact teeth! It is rare to see these brilliant tuskers in the wild due to poaching for their ivory and loss of habitat. Within a space of few decades, these animals have been reduced in number. My uncles (who were legendary in their pursuit of fun and the good times) used to tell me numerous stories of their expereince in the jungles of South India from over half century ago; including their many encounters with wild tuskers. I have only their stories to go by now, for all my time in the forests I have yet to see a majestic tusker like this. Now, many of these tuskers are relegated to the temples of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
This friendly tusker can be found at the elephant work camp in Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary (in the north west part of Tamil Nadu along the border with Kerala). Elephant rides are provided for tourists in the morning and evening into the forest. It is unlikely you will see any wildlife while on these elephants; for better wildlife viewing opportunities one must go on dusk & dawn van rides, that are organized by the government, into restricted trails in the jungle. The elephant 'workcamp' employs tribals from the local area. When I got on one of these elephants, I shot question after question to the friendly mahout: Have you seen a tiger? Do you think we can see a tiger today? What are the chances of seeing a tiger today? Whoa, it will be so cool to see a tiger this morning right? He answered them patiently one after the other; he must have had experience with 'hyperactives'.
Then he told me a story of how long back one of the elephants carrying tourists got spooked by a wild elephants and suddenly decided to do a 50 meter dash -- along with the now-not-so-camera-happy tourists on his back. That episode, he told me, ended with a crushed leg for one (as the device people sit on came crashing down) and three other shaken, suddenly-religious, tourists. My questions to the mahout stopped immediately --as one couldn't ask questions and pray profusely at the same time. I asked good lord to resicnd my earlier request to see a wild elephant or a tiger for that matter; nothing that would spook the elephant. My prayers were answered: no wild elephants, no tigers and an uncrushed , perfectly working legs. What more can anyone want from a safari!:)
More pics later.
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