1st Tiger
Another 5:00am start in total darkness. The room had no light so it was good that I’d anticipated it and had everything ready just to pick up and head for the tea and biscuits on the veranda at the front of the lodge. The others arrived had tea, they wondered where all the coconut biscuits had gone and we made our way to the waiting vehicles. We set off into the cold dark morning suitably wrapped up. We had two jeeps with 2 or 3 Photographers depending on which one Lee went into. Had to go to the central office to sort tickets then headed to the park entrance gate. Another check of the official passes and we were set to go. I was constantly reminded that this is a social government and you often find duplication and more. We all sat and waited for the clock to reach 6:00am and the barrier to lift.
We're off, these drivers have rally car training, they race into the park to areas they’ve been informed are hot for tigers. You’ve got to hang on for grim death or you’ll find yourself lying face down in the track with a set of tyre marks across your back. We reach the hot spot and as expected there’s nothing there, the tigers have moved on overnight. Soon after the other vehicles draw up and the jabbering starts. Each driver giving his version of where the tigers have gone. We all sit waiting in the early morning light. There are alarm calls from the langur monkeys and spotted deer but no tigers are sighted. Eventually everyone starts to drift away and follow various routes to where the tigers are……possibly!
After several false alarms we are forced to head to the gate as we must be out by 10:00am and it’s a 60kph dash to the gate.
We make the gate just in time, if the driver's late he can be fined and even lose his licence which equates to his livelihood.
Lunch at the lodge was programmed for 1:00pm as we were to head out at 2:30 to be at the front of the gate queue by 3:00pm.
The afternoon was a repeat of the morning and we raced around the reserve looking for the elusive tiger. Time was running out and it was already 4:30pm so after a lively discussion we headed for a hilly area to the east of the gate. We drew up to a clearing that overlooked a steep drop and rising hill beyond. We sat and waited, and waited, and waited. Nothing moved, then we started to hear some spotted deer alarm calls. The lowering light was starting to turn golden and suddenly across on the rise a magnificent male tiger emerged from the bushes about 100 meters away. He was agitated and didn’t settle, we soon found out why when his brother appeared from low down on the right, headed up the rise and the two greeted each other. They walked down the hill and up towards our waiting vehicles. They came so close it was impossible to focus. The whole encounter lasted for about 30mins and then they disappeared into the bush and vanished. They disappeared as quietly as they had appeared.
Our first tiger, I found the whole experience very emotional.
