The Rise of Rana, The Prince of Jhalana - The Legend Lives on!

Ok, so when I decided to visit Jaipur during the summer vacations recently, I threw into the itinerary the option of going on a safari in a game reserve right within the precincts of the city. Very few people I know were aware of such a place, even my cousin brother who lives in Jodhpur. Having just done a safari in Ranthambore, where we spotted Shubh, T-2505, an upcoming male tiger, I thought it would be a great idea to spot Leopards for a change. Incidentally, when I was a little boy in Arbaminch, Ethiopia, my father had shown me quite a few Leopards in the vicinity.

We booked our safari tickets online, and it cost us about Rs.850/- or so per head. Since there were six of us adults, we fitted into a Gypsy and were taken Leopard spotting by our driver and guide, Kuldeep Chouhan. He is indeed a wildlife enthusiast and a very knowledgeable and expert guide. While I had my doubts about spotting any leopards in the sanctuary, what with all those word-of-mouth stories about not spotting anything on the safari, we were all in for a pleasant surprise. We ended up spotting not one, but three Leopards! The cherry on top of the cake was that we not only spotted Rana, the Prince of Jhalana, but also were able to capture him in flagarant, in the act!

A lot of hard work asks for a lazy nap. Leopards are known to be a bit lazy in nature, and a light nap comes as a bonus for them, especially after completing a difficult task, in this case, enhancing the gene pool of Leopards in Jhalana!

Rana, incidentally, is a dominant male Leopard whose father was Bahadur (whom he dethroned) and his mother was Mrs. Khan. Kuldeep told us that Mrs. Khan was a famous Leopard who could be spotted without fail on top of a rock every day at a fixed time. Well, all this was entertaining enough, and I wondered if Kuldeep was taking us on a wild goose chase. When I asked Kuldeep if there was a chance of spotting a Leopard, I was surprised by his assurance that we would. It was the mating season, and he told us that there was a good chance of spotting Rana and his mistresses! Bahadur and Mrs Khan were legends, and their legend is carried forward by Rana!

We had hardly spent thirty minutes on the Safari when we spotted Rana in zone 2. Initially, he was alone, resting next to a check dam, and then he got up and went away. However, our guide knew where Rana was headed, and he sped towards a spot opposite to the check dam. He kept telling us that he would see not one, but three! 

Finally, we ended up right next to a copse of trees where we spotted Rana and two other female Leopards, one named Timtim and the other unnamed. We ended up observing some of the most amazing behaviours of Leopards in the mating season! We were able to see leopards effortlessly leap onto the branches and clamber down easily! Rana had a face scarred by the many fights he must have had with other Leopards, a handsome and majestic alpha male who bore his scars as a testament of his dominance in the area. 

Again, a special thanks to Kuldeep for making our day a grand success. He was thoroughly patient and as curious as us to spot the Leopards.

Sarus Cranes Tigers and Crocodiles are among my favourite Wildlife Subjects to photograph.

Alert Cranes

Each time I spot Sarus Cranes, I can't help but admire them, not just for the fact that they are amongst the world's largest flying birds, but also because they are majestic, graceful, and closely knit. Sarus Crane pairs are perfectly coordinated and in sync. They fly together, feed together and rear offspring together. Sarus Cranes are metaphors of integrity, trust and respect for one another.

A Symphony of Cranes

I was able to spot this particular pair of cranes at the Chandu Budhera wetland yesterday and of the two pairs of cranes usually spotted, this one is without an offspring. I guess this pair cranes is yet to give birth to its offspring and I have been observing this pair for quite some time now, perhaps more than a a year. Sarus cranes are territorial in nature and they generally do not trespass into another's territory, though they do communicate with other pairs in that rather loud trumpetlike sound, which is also an alarm call that can be heard from a long distance. The best places to photograph Sarus Cranes in Gurgaon include, The Sultanpur National Park and the Chandu Budhera wetland area.

After, perhaps Sarus Cranes, it is Tigers that are among the most sought after wildlife subjects to photograph. Unfortunately, tigers are less easily spotted and you need to travel quite a distance, specifically a National Park. Some of the closest National Parks to Delhi NCR include Jim Corbett Park, Sariska National Park and the Ranthambore National Park. You are more likely to spot a Tiger at the Ranthambore National Park than the Jim Corbett National Park, or even the Sariska National Park. Out of the three visits to the Jim Corbett National Park, I was able a tiger on the third visit, that too besides the road in a depression while returning from Ramnagar to the Corbett Treat resort. That sighting, was however too brief and we were not able to photograph the tiger! A number of safaris in the Jim Corbett National Park did not reveal any tiger.

In the footsteps of his mother

In the above photograph you have Shubh, T2505 crossing from the ruins of a building towards the mainland. If you look closely, you can also spot a crocodile in the water moving towards the ruins. It was surprising how quickly the tiger covered the distance. Shubh was spotted in the morning of the 7th of June, 2026. Shubh is a four year old tiger, an offspring of Ridhi the Tigress and he is turning out to be a handsome young tiger.

Startled Birds

Even as Shubh advanced, there was a thrashing commotion as the birds attempted to get out of his way. Shubh, however, seemed unperturbed as he proceeded towards mainland.

Got You!

The Ranthambore National Park, however is more likely to present a better opportunity for spotting a tiger. This is because of, not only a higher number of tigers present in the park, but also the terrain, the rocky outcrop and the sparse forest growth. Out of four visits to the Ranthambore National Park we were rewarded by sightings on three occasions. The prime zones for spotting tigers are zones one to five. The buffer zones are more likely to be a disappointment!

Don't be Fooled, Those are not Logs!

The Ranthambore National Park also has a large number of Crocodiles. They come in various sizes. One can either find them chilling out with their huge jaws gaping open, (to ventilate their blood) or floating slyly with only their heads out of the water, (an imitation of floating logs for the unsuspecting victim). 

What Else Besides Tigers?

What else can you spot besides Tigers at the Ranthambore National Park? Well, during my frequent trips, I have been able to spot some amazing birds and animals. Among some are Francolins and Crocodiles. But then some of the candid poses of spotted deer and Sambhar deer can be an amazing experience. Momma Sambhar Doe stamps her foot hard on the ground when she perceives danger. I saw the mother stamping her feet to warn her offspring of danger, which was in the form of a large mongoose, and not fortunately, a tiger!

Watching a Sambhur Deer and her offspring can evoke emotions associated with parenting. I spotted a mother Sambhur Deer with her offspring, and they were in perfect sync, ears pointed in one direction, the offspring waiting to spring to safety when prompted by the mother.

But then, the crocodiles basking in the sun can be as terrifying, though not as terrifying as the Nile Crocodiles that I used to see in Ethiopia. 

Apart from all the birds one will spot at the Ranthambore National Park is the Indian Thick Knee. Spotting one could be a gift, but spotting two can be a treasure!

Ultimately, it comes back to the question of whether one has spotted a tiger at the Ranthambore National Park, and the fact is that yes, you are more likely to spot one or more!

Special thanks to Sam Travels and Tours New Delhi, the link to which I have posted at the top of my post. Sam Travels and Tours in New Delhi handled our resort and safari bookings for the trip. They were constantly in touch with us during our visit.

A walk into the interiors of Sawai Madhopur or Ranthambore will reveal a lot about how artistic these people are. The murals on the walls of buildings reveal how welcoming the people are and how eager they are to share their happiness. This is what I came across at one of the houses on our walk back from the museum.

And the welcome notes on a temple wall were colourful and pleasant to look at. It caught my attention, and I took a snap of them.

But then, before I/you go, I would like a caption for the photograph posted below. You can post your suggestion in the comment section of the blog.

Photographing T 2505 (Shubh) at the Ranthambore National Park Today

Just spotted T-2505 in Ranthambore National Park. He is supposed to be a young male Bengal tiger nicknamed Shubh. I spotted him as he was crossing a causeway from the Joggi Mahal area in zone three.

Shubh is the offspring of the dominant tigress Riddhi, and he carries the bloodline of the tigress Machli. Shubh is growing up into a confident young tiger, asserting his dominance in zones 2 and 3.

And then he walked away with great nonchalance, as if he did not have any care in the whole world. Incidentally, we were able to spot his pug mark, which is how we were able to spot him. In close proximity to the exit point, we were able to spot Shubh's brother, T 2506, in the bushes.

Shikra on a Branch and Jackals on the Bund

Shikras are small birds of prey. They are raptors that hunt small rodents. In medieval times, they were used to get food for hawks. While Shikras are generally found in forests, these days they are more likely to be found in residential areas, thanks to changing ecological patterns. With forests disappearing and game disappearing, Shikras and even white-breasted Flamingos are forced to scavenge for food in urban areas.

We are all heading towards an ecological disaster because of the damage being done to the ecosystem. While birds like Shikras and Flamingoes are adapting their lifestyles to suit changing conditions, one wonders how we human beings will be able to cope with adverse environmental conditions. We are already reeling under a heat wave, Shikras will be able to fly away to other lands, but we will remain stuck within a situation that has been made worse by ourselves.

But then, Shikras are not the only victims of human developmental activities! Jackals have also learned to adapt to changing conditions. Jackals are now edging closer and closer to urban areas. A scarcity of food has led them to converge on residential areas in search of food. These, once shy mammals, are now growing bolder and bolder, and are often used to human presence.