India Journal: Entry 9 - King Nothing

After visiting Bandhavgarh and not seeing a tiger, I was quite ready to disembark in search of greater opportunities at the famed tiger reserve, Ranthambore. I wasn’t too sure what to expect. Ranthambore is one of the most popular tiger tourist destinations in the entire world and my first thought was that it would be far too crowded to be an enjoyable experience. My experiences in the other parks quickly showed me just how disrespectful and unruly people can be when a tiger makes an appearance – it bothered me to no end, as I believe there is a code of conduct one should observe when visiting the home of wild animals and especially when viewing tigers. Naturally, I was a bit worried.

I arrived on Christmas Eve (December 24th) before noon. After a lengthy train-ride, I was eager to unpack, unwind and enjoy an afternoon to myself. However, I was surprised to here that an afternoon safari was going to be departing and I had the opportunity to join. The temptation was too much to resist and soon after arriving, I was boarding a large canter, which could accommodate more than 20 people.

The excitement of the safari was diminished somewhat by anxiety toward the others in the canter. Most of my safari’s were private affairs and all around me were chatty tourists who surely would not be as quiet as myself. However, after weeks of very little contact and conversation with English speakers, I began to relax and enjoy the experience. A couple of casual conversations made me feel I was among friends, which was a welcomed change.

After entering the park, I could understand why Ranthambore was so popular. Though we only toured a small part of the park, I was absolutely stunned with the natural beauty that was before me. As the evening approached, the other tourists were becoming anxious to see a tiger. Though some apparently didn’t get the memo that tiger’s don’t appear for people on a whim, I was becoming anxious as well. However, this was somewhat subdued knowing I was only on the first of many safari’s to come.

We traversed the winding roads and came upon a park staff member. It didn’t take long for me to realize, as he was talking to the driver, that he knew something. The staff member entered the canter and began to give the driver directions. It seemed that he knew there was a tiger in the area. The lines upon the man’s face told me he had a wealth of experience and knowing he was using it for our benefit made my excitement grow.

We turned a corner and sure enough, we came across another canter who had found two tigers. I immediately leaped to my feet, as did the others in the canter. Unfortunately, I was in the back of the canter and my view was obscured by trees and a legion of tourists vying for a view. I was able to hang myself out the side of the canter and snap a few blurry shots a tiger taking a drink. I was able to see the other tiger as well.

Tigers are solitary and normally do not associate with each other. These two tigers were male, which made it even more bizarre. However, these tigers were sub-adult siblings who seemed to be entering the twilight hours of their family. Their mother was nowhere to be seen and it is quite possible the process of the family break-up had already begun.

I was frustrated. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t position myself to get a good view of the tigers. However, for reasons completely unknown to me, the driver came to the back of the canter, grabbed me by the arm, parted the crowd and placed me in the front of the canter with a fantastic view and part of the canter’s frame to stabilize my shots. I was completely taken off guard and the other tourists seemed to be as confused as I was, but unlike them, I wasn’t complaining. Simultaneously, one of the tigers had gotten up, moved closer and had laid down in a gap between the branches of a tree that had been obscuring everyone’s view.

As I discovered in my last encounter with a tiger, the effects of experiencing a wild tiger wasn’t diminishing, but actually increasing. The adrenaline was pumping, the world around me melted away yet again, my heart was hammering against my ribcage and this time I was even having trouble standing straight. Again...this wasn’t out of fear, but out of awe. The tiger had taken hold of me yet again.

The tiger which had decided to venture closer to us was maintaining a wary eye, but wasn’t bothered. As a result, I was able to take a wealth of photographs. It wasn’t until another canter arrived, with tourists screaming in excitement that the tiger decided to retreat. It was a rude arrival that left a bad taste everyone’s mouth and the new arrivals, in addition to being disappointed, found themselves the target of dozens of angry stares.

After the excitement died down, it was time to relax again. The sun began its evening decent and spirits were high among the other tourists. The fading sunlight painted the landscape with brilliant golden hues and people were eager to share their photos with each other. The night played host to campfires amidst the cold, conversation among strangers from all over the world and a sky filled with stars.

I began to think about the experiences of the day. Traveling to and from the park showed me just how unpleasant the situation is for the park. Ranthambore is famous for its tigers, but the long-term persistence of these animals is in question. The reserve is an ecological island amidst a human dominated landscape. Not far from the reserve is a major city and surrounding the park is farmland as far as the eye can see. Though this tiger tolerated our presence, the people outside the park are often not as friendly. He will eventually have to find his own territory and with very little land in the park to spare, he might venture outside the park into a nothing landscape and come into conflict with people.

This is a king that is quickly finding he no longer has a kingdom and it is a situation that many tigers now face.