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!
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.
Great! Rana is the dominant and highly celebrated alpha male leopard of the Jhalana Leopard Reserve in Jaipur, famously revered by locals and safari guides as the "Prince of Jhalana".
ReplyDeleteRana is known for his bold personality and relatively relaxed nature. He is frequently seen during daylight hours, often nonchalantly catwalking down jeep tracks and giving direct, intimidating eye contact to cameras.
You have taken wonderful shots of mating, which are generally avoided by many amateur photographers because of fearing of territorial behaviour in these large cats.As the males are feociously aggressive during that time.
Thank you so much for sharing such spectacular photographs. I wish all the best for your future endeavours.
Dr. G G. Saraswat.
Thank you so much for the comment. Means a lot coming from you!
DeleteGod bless you.
ReplyDelete