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As I left Lucknow with my newly converted enthusiastic wildlife lover friend Rajeev for Dudhwa national park early in the morning ,the sky was overcast and a light drizzle had started.I was apprehensive what turn the weather will take when we reach our destination located in the Terai region of Uttar pradesh.I was successful in keeping my thoughts to myself as i did not want to discourage Rajeev on his maiden tryst with the wild and unexplored.
On reaching Dudhwa all my doubts and apprehensions evaporated as the weather had turned benign and inviting it was nature at its best. At the reception tourists and forest officials were sharing information on the morning jungle trip a juicy bit of information on the presence of a big herd of 32 wild elephants who had recently crossed over from the Nepal side to the park was a welcome news, and our invitation to head towards the core area of the park at the earliest available opportunity, We had booked our accommodation in the log huts in the sathiana range of the park for record the huts are located in the middle of the range surrounded by the wild with basic amenities reminiscent of the era when our ancestors lived without electricity and running water.
From reception we hired our guide Baddal who is a local Tharu tribal with intimate knowledge of all the ranges of the park and a hawk eyed animal spotter and other qualities which would be revealed later .
After relaxing a bit in Sathiana we prepared ourselves for the evening jungle trip and headed straight for Bankey taal where the elephant herd was rumoured to be present.As we neared our destination we met another group who informed us about the presence of the herd in the vicinity.
we cautiously approached the area with all our senses alert to the surrounding and pregnant expectation of savouring the sight.From a distance we could see black dots spread all around the grassland surrounding the waterbody some were small and some big , then the picture became clearer we were face to face with an exceptionally big herd of biggest mammal on earth .The encounter was tense as the herd was in an unusually violent mood and the previous night they had destroyed the machan of forest department . The Leader of the herd a huge tusker came forward to survey the intruders who dared to intrude in his domain and we sat tight in the secure confines our vehicle waiting to gauge the king"s reaction and ready to flee at the shortest hint of aggression. After few moments of intense suspense and anxiety suddenly we were engulfed with a sense of relief as the king retreated after sensing we were harmless creatures and the jungle came alive you could hear the birds chirping and the other curious sounds we tried to make sense of, then our pint size jungle expert Baddal suddenly got active and woke us from our spell, he got out of the vehicle and surveyed the surroundings and signalled us to leave the safety of our vehicle , we hesitantly alighted and our odyssey had begun it was a rare sight to behold you could see the elephant herd busy in their daily chores some were grazing , some partaking the luxury of a water and subsequent mud bath, and the babies at their naughtiest best. We savoured the sight Furiosly clicking away our cameras to catch the moment for posterity admiring our good fortune at starting our jungle campaign on a good note.
After sunset we reached our loghut discussing the day's experiences and musing over next day's agenda,Suddenly there was a commotion in the surrounding jungle and we hear the rustling of bushes and a long Cheetal call.
On inquiry from Baddal he informed us that a Tiger had just made a kill nearby and all the animals in the vicinity had taken shelter on the nearby jungle road.................................................
To be continued.