It was a question that left us all bewildered. Something that we didn’t see coming our way at all.
It all started with a safari through the Moharli zone in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve last week. The morning was cool and breezy (compared to the scorching heat of the afternoon). The forest sights and sounds kept us enthralled, as we explored the biodiversity of the park.
An Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) seemed like a jewel in the dry deciduous forest, adding color to the proceedings.
Indian Peafowl – A jewel in the beautiful forest
We encountered colorful Indian Pittas (Pitta brachyura) every few metres.
Indian Pitta on the forest floor
Oriental Honey Buzzards (Pernis ptilorhyncus) flew over the lovely Tadoba Lake.
Oriental Honey Buzzard
And then, we noticed a black form arriving at the lake on the other bank. It turned out to be that elusive mammal – the Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus). A ripple of excitement ran through our safari jeep and the cameras went click-click-click relentlessly.
Sloth Bear at Tadoba Lake
We watched the Sloth Bear come down to the water, take a few sips and slowly amble back into the grasses. It was a brilliant sight watching a (chiefly) nocturnal mammal in broad daylight.
How is all this related to the bewildering question? Thrilled with the amazing sighting, we were exploring the beautiful forests when another safari vehicle stopped next to ours. An exchange of information in the forest is always a good thing. As we explained our sightings for the day, we signed if off with a triumphant “Sloth Bear”. The expression on the listener’s face didn’t seem to change much when we said that.
And then came the punchline – “Kitne dekha?” (“How many did you see?”)
Surprise! Bewilderment! A big question mark on our faces! In all these years in all other parks, the only question ever asked is “Kuch dekha kya?” (“Did you see something?”)
And we got our explanation soon. The other jeep had seen 3 Sloth Bears that morning…
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