#172: A Visit Through The Kaziranga National Park
Modulating The Middle Of A Travel Story
"Will we spot a tiger today?" I inquired of our soft-spoken safari driver.
"Let's hope so, Ma'am. Let's hope so," Pallav responded, briefly closing his eyes, placing his right hand on his heart, and offering a polite gesture I'd encountered frequently during my days in Northeast India.
We found ourselves in Kaziranga National Park, India's most sought-after wildlife sanctuary, renowned for its one-horned rhinoceros but also known to host the majestic Bengal Tigers.
"Have you ever seen one?" I asked, eager to understand what to expect when we did encounter one.
"Many times, Ma'am, many times," Pallav replied with a gleam in his eye as he continued along the gravel road. "The tiger is such a majestic animal that no matter how often you've seen it, you'll always want to see it again and again."
Crossing a small creek that separated the sanctuary from the bustling national highway, we were greeted by a troop of monkeys. They observed us with curiosity at first, but as we drew nearer, they scattered in various directions. Tiny juvenile monkeys followed their mothers, clinging tightly to their stomachs, while larger ones paused briefly to assess the situation.
Kaziranga National Park is a sanctuary for numerous endangered species, including swamp deer and the one-horned rhinoceros.
The story goes that in 1905, Mary Curzon, the wife of Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India at the time, visited Assam to see the one-horned rhinoceroses. She didn't catch sight of a single one. She was informed that only 10 to 12 of these creatures remained, a result of British officers hunting them for sport and local poachers targeting them for their horns.
Lady Curzon's persistence led her husband to take urgent action to save the species. Thanks to her efforts, 232 square kilometers of forest land next to the Brahmaputra River were designated as a national park.
In 1985, this park earned UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
Today, sprawling over 430 square kilometers, it boasts elephant-grass meadows, swampy lagoons, and dense forests, harboring over 2,613 one-horned rhinoceroses, 121 Bengal Tigers, 1,937 buffaloes, 1,089 elephants, and 868 swamp deer, representing the world's largest population of this nearly extinct species.
As we ventured deeper into the sanctuary, the air grew cleaner and fresher. We marveled at the beauty of the swamps covered with water hyacinth and spotted rhinoceroses. Initially, one, then three, were busy grazing at a distance. We paused, soaking in their wild beauty. Driving a bit further, we found one just meters from the road, its head bent, quietly gathering and devouring grass with its upper lip and teeth.
With each step deeper into the sanctuary, its beauty unfolded further. We observed buffaloes from afar and up close, noting their impressively large, perfectly round horns measuring over three feet in diameter. We glimpsed swamp deer and their elegant antlers. We also encountered a solitary male elephant, which Pallav informed us had been ousted from the herd.
However, we had yet to spot a tiger. To increase our chances, we ventured into the deeper forest, where the dense trees and foliage blocked out the sun entirely. The air grew still as Pallav parked our Jeep at an intersection next to another vehicle, carrying five passengers who sat in silence.
“This is where we wait for the tiger," Pallav whispered.
"From which direction do you think it might approach?" I whispered in response.
"Any direction, really. It could come from those bushes, behind those trees, or even from the swamp behind that grass."
"But how can you be sure it will come here?"
"Because it has its territory here. See that narrow entrance through the vegetation? That's its hideout."
So, we waited, and we waited some more.
Of course, it was a long shot.
Three other jeeps carrying tourists arrived and departed, all attempting to remain as quiet as possible. But tigers possess keen hearing. Their ears can rotate, similar to radar dishes, to detect sounds like the high-frequency calls of prey in the dense forest undergrowth.
Of course, it could hear all those jeeps and eager tourists. So, His Majesty chose to have a private chuckle at our expense and went for a leisurely swim in a lagoon further into the forest, an area inaccessible to humans.
Disappointed, we left our spot and headed for a watchtower, where we contented ourselves with observing a herd of elephants, numerous rhinoceroses, swamp deer, and a baby rhino nursing from its mother.
Tiger or no tiger, I'll forever cherish the experience of venturing into the wilderness, still inhabited by these magnificent creatures.
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