Text and Photographs by Pranay ChandraThe choice was between Darjeeling and either of three sanctuaries/ NP in North Bengal. Event was celebrating New Year and to welcome 2009. Six of us, votes were casted and the sanctuaries, won, hands down. Few, who voted for Darjeeling, kept silent. Polling day happened to be 30th Dec and frantic calls were made, all strings pulled but to our disappointment, no FRH was available and it was prudent to stay miles away from core area of the forest in any private resort. The gloomy chilly evening of Darjeeling loomed over us when a call announcing that a small annexe at Hollong Lodge at Jaldapara WLS is available, having a double bed, implying we have to sustain ‘dostana’ style with a possibility of one additional bed inside. Nod of approval from the gang sent us scurrying for preparation. Search lights & camera batteries were put on charge and I left for procuring bottled water and off course, Odomos!!
Jaldapara WLS, having an area of approximately 217 sq kms, is in the foothills of Eastern Himalaya in the Douars region of North Bengal. Surrounded, all around by tea gardens bordering one side with Gorumara NP and with Buxa Tiger Reserve on the other side, while Neora and Chapramari WLS in close proximity is rich in natural biodiversity. The chaurs and grasslands has shrunk due to increased human settlements and Tea Gardens, but still, Jaldapara boasts of herds of Indian bison, elephants, hog, swamp and barking deers. The star attraction is endangered one horned rhinoceros which can be viewed from lodge itself apart from elephant back and watch towers. 4/5 tigers are also residing within sanctuary besides Leopards. Jaldapara WLS can be reached from Siliguri/New Jalpaiguri/Bagdogra within 4/5 hours by road via Jalpaiguri or via Coronation Bridge (commonly called as Tiger Bridge), Damdim, Chalsa and to Madarihat. The entry gate to sanctuary is at Madarihat and Hollong Lodge is further 40 minutes drive inside on kaccha forest road guarded all along by electric fence. The area all along the Bagdogra, Sukna, Sevoke road and up to the sanctuaries witnesses maximum clashes of elephants with humans. The local newspapers every third day has a story of a human killed/ fields and their houses rampaged by elephants. Army camps have some more interesting stories of elephants raiding godowns and not only carrying sugar and rice bags but show their annoyance if they do not find rum bottles to quench their thirsts. An interesting story, on which I am trying to get details, is of a report in Telegraph, whereby, a forest official returning late in the evening found a group of wild cats huddled together engrossed into something lying between them. The official, when approached the cats found a human child who seems to be growing in wild with the cats. This lead me to think that the infamous Yeti may also be freak incidents whereby human children have grown with bears. I have been informed that some trace of such creature has been found in Arunachal Pradesh and the samples have been sent to WII for DNA study.
Despite starting very early from Gangtok on 31 December we reached Hollong at 2.30 pm, negotiating road blocks, eating away our valuable day hours which we could have utilized visiting deep precincts of Forests. A quick check in and we hurried to the ‘glade’ facing the saltlick in front of the lodge. A forester was deputed to take us at 4 in the forests to a supposedly, watchtower not normally allowed to be visited by tourists. We sat in the glade for an hour waiting anxiously for any of the Jaldapara giants to visit. None of them showed up, obviously so, because it was not only us but we were constantly kept amused by other tourists groups as well; lovers, newly weds, politicians and even a group where we narrowed down to four generations amongst them. Grandpa/ma, father/mother, son/daughter with spouse and a child in lap; was suckling happily to silicon nipple. I am very sure the makhana inside the forest must be watching us with equal delight.
The drive to watchtower number 4 lasted 30 minutes passing through the Range Office, Hollong. Enroute, we spotted a lone tusker very close to the road. The forester panicked, and we in turn too, but the sight was too good to be missed by a mere glance. Keeping a safe distance, without turning off the engine. we saw it emerge on the road and walk away. It was a huge male with large tusks, carrying and managing them must be quite a task for him. The liquid was oozing out besides its eyes indicating that it is either in Musth or about to come in state and hence the forester was in panic. Incidentally we were informed that it was one of the four resident elephant of WLS and balance all other is migratory. The Douars region falls within the migratory corridor of elephants from Assam going to Nepal. This migration is stopped by Govt of Nepal and India at borders where they are chased back in the forests resulting in large concentrations of pachyderms in this belt resulting in various skirmishes with humans. For a change here the roles are reversed; we do not require the passport and visa to visit Nepal but elephants definitely do. The guide took a sigh of relief seeing the massif moving away but was still apprehensive, “an elephant is an intelligent creature and it understands that who goes this way has to return the same way and that is the time it ambushes, emerging on road unexpectedly from behind boulders or from tree cover”. We moved on and reached watchtower and immediately on climbing heard an alarm call and saw a sambhar near a marshy patch looking intently behind, ears cocked. Peering more intently we found a female Rhino with its calf close to where sambhar is and the guide informed us that it was not a sambhar call but the mother summoning its calf to follow her heels. There are approximately 125 Rhinos in this small Sanctuary. This is a healthy trend and goes to show that in spite of disturbances on almost all our sanctuaries bordering Nepal due to Maoist and fast growing Naxalism this sanctuary is being managed by efficient and dedicated staff. On our way back, as expected, we found our friend again, close to the road, but realizing that we are good souls did not ambush us but gave ample of opportunity to admire its beautiful huge magnificent tusks. My request to keen photographers; please do not disturb the animal. I am witness on many occasions at Corbett photographers trying to go closer by taking their vehicle in reverse, inciting it to charge in order to get a photo of a charging bull. Surprisingly, such photos gets maximum appreciation, but the net result is that the animal becomes irritated and takes averse and start charging each vehicle and is declared a rouge for no fault of its.
It was dark by the time we reached lodge and the chill in the air rang the bell for some tea, but that too had to wait because the staff at lodge came running and announced that a herd of Gaurs has arrived at saltlick facing the glade. Off we rushed with our tripods, camera and searchlights. The view was spectacular. Approximately, 50 yard in front was plethora of eyes sparkling in dark as if the open patch in front is full of fireflies. Switching on the searchlights was a sight, we will never forget. We counted 60 and still some more were emerging from the tree line. Lots of muscle wrangling was taking place in order to reach the salt. Calves were dancing around their mothers, playing, while the males on the periphery keeping a watch on us and towards the tree line at forest edge. The range Officer mentioned that close to 1200 Gaurs exists in the WLS. Similar is the case of Gorumara NP where Gaur population is on rise and the reason is, the Tiger, on top of the food chain is not present in Gorumara while at Jaldapara are very few. A leopard does not take the risk of picking up calves when it has feral dogs lined up all along the sanctuary near human settlements apart from healthy population of deers. The hustle bustle continued at saltlick as late till we were awake and we continued watching from the huge glass windows while we had our tea and subsequently dinner sitting on the lodge second floor plush sitting room. What else one can want but seeing the 31 December slipping and emerging of dawn of a New Year.
Next day, on waking up we found saltlick area absolutely deserted with no signs of what we saw yesterday except the white salt missing from the mounds. The area was abs clear unlike the spots we leave when we have a party of 60 people. It was time to go on Elephant safari and we sat on Lakshmi the female elephant with its reigns in the hands of Rabi, the Mahout. Rabi took us along the river and beyond to grasslands overlooked by the watchtower of Harindanda anti poaching camp. Foraging there we came across Two one horned Rhinos distant apart. We trailed one but it was shying away and was constantly moving and hence we tried the second one and found it to be bold holding its ground and kept foraging close to us. One horned rhinos unlike to the ones found in Africa are one of the endangered species of six types of rhinos found all over the Asian and African continent. These one horned ones are found all along on the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, in pockets, from Kaziranga at Assam to the forests in Douars. They face the threat of poaching due to demand of its horns for Chinese medicines. Sometimes their dismembered carcasses have been found with their horn missing, along with some other parts of its body, which, basically the buyer wants to ensure that the horn being supplied is of rhino.
Surprisingly, we saw deers but there were no signs of Gaurs. Gaurs in massive strength of numbers and their sheer size can camouflage itself in this small WLS is creditable. Time had come to return and Rabi steered Lakshmi back to camp.
