The boundless beauty of this great land never ceases to amaze me . Kerala is deservedly called God's Own Country, but Karnataka is no less his!
We spent three extraordinarily beautiful days at Orange County Resort, on the banks of the Kabini river, skirting the Nagarahole and Bandipur National Parks, acknowledged as some of the most pristine forest areas in India. This region is said to have one of the largest concentrations of the majestic Asiatic elephant and is perhaps one of safest havens for that most desperately endangered of species, the magnificent tiger. These forests are also home to the Indian Gaur or Bison, a few varieties of deer, wild dogs, sloth bear and the elusive leopard, not to speak of the incredible array of bird species, both native and migratory.
With the monsoon just about setting in, the vegetation is already lush and green and the 'dry deciduous forests' that you read about are nowhere in sight. The verdant landscape is a feast for the eyes but not great news if you're hoping to spot the big cats, on safari.
There are two safari options, a jeep safari that takes you along narrow trails into the dense jungle and the boat safari that takes you along the Kabini, flanked by the Nagarahole Reserve on one side and the Bandipur Reserve on the other. We saw several herds of elephants, a couple of solitary tuskers, bison, deer and a few crocodiles, sunning themselves on the riverbank. The predators, however, chose to make themselves scarce. Of course, birds of all shapes, sizes and hues were aplenty.
When you're out in the wild, you realise the enormity of the creator's master plan. Every little detail has been thought of, every thing has its place, its designated role to play. There is abundance, but never waste. Even the fearsome predators kill only when they are hungry. The delicate balance of nature is thus perfectly maintained. You cannot but be humbled by this.
In this intricate and elaborate scheme,there is only one intruder- man. His never ending greed has meant that animals are being relentlessly driven out of their homes, their natural habitats. Man's unerring ability to destroy and decimate things which he can neither create nor replicate, is on display everywhere. Whether it is the indiscriminate felling of trees or the illegal building of resorts on forest lands, they only hasten the process of ecological destruction. The horrendous and barbaric spectre of poaching is, of course, the biggest threat to India's wildlife. It is a national shame but precious little is being done to stop it. Coming generations may well read about and see pictures of lions and tigers in much the same way as we have of dinosaurs and mammoths. The cynic would say that in a land where human lives mean very little, why cry over mere animals. I would be tempted to agree, except that in the larger ecological equation, the systematic destruction of forests and extinction of animal and bird species are merely curtain raisers for the extinction of the most destructive and arrogant of all species - Homo sapiens.
These are depressing thoughts to bring back from a great holiday; but caught up as we are in our frenetic urban lives, when else will we reflect on these harsh realities that confront us?
A VIEW OF THE RESORT
SHOWING OFF!
RED VENTED BULBUL
TUSKER CROSSING
GREY HERON
CRESTED SERPENT EAGLE
SUNBATHING
RED WHISKERED BULBUL
CRESTED HAWK EAGLE
INDIAN GAUR
EMERALD BEETLE
SCALY BREASTED MUNIA
GIANT MALABAR SQUIRREL
LONG TAILED SHRIKE
RED WATTLED LAPWING IN FLIGHT
