The Leopard is probably the most successful
of the predators. Their abilityto adapt to different environments have resulted
in categorizing them into different races. There are six such races found in
the Indian subcontinent, which includes Common Leopard, Snow Leopard, Clouded
Leopard, Leopard Cat, Marbled Cat and Golden Cat.
Leopard populations are in danger
around the globe. The degradation and outright destruction of leopard habitat
due to human endeavours has caused populations to fragment and stagnate, not
to mention drastically decline.
In India there favorite habitats
are varied, from the snow peaks of Uttranchal to Sal forests of the terai, from
the dry forests in Rajasthan to the thick rain forests in Arunachal and the
list goes on.
How ever, to locate Leopards in the Wild is never been an easy task. Hence you
will find more Tiger experts in the country than Leopard experts.
Taal Vraksh - An abode of Leopards,
20 kms from Sariska Tiger Reserve
Taal Vraksh, a place, which lies
in the twilight of wilderness and civilisation. What makes it very different
from other places is the frequency of the leopard visiting this place despite
having large human presence. The place is just 20 km from Sariska Tiger Sanctuary
of Rajasthan and is located on the Jaipur State Highway.
The place is a paradox of sorts. The leopards are sighted on the road. A small
area of dense forest covering, with a little water available has made the place
a true Leopard habitat.
Given below is typical evening
experience in Taal by Sharad Khanna, a friend who is a regular at Taalvraksh
The sun was about to set and we
were having our evening tea, along with scanning the three hills and expecting
to see something moving. The lullness was broken by the peacocks flying away
from the danger zone and the ringing bells from the temple nearby and to add
more erreness to the whole experience moon rose and started to cast its spell
on its denizens. We were standing on the road waiting and cameras ready a domestic
cow had just passed and following behind was this monkey. Unmindful of our presence
it simply kept on walking on the road alert as if somebody is about to pounce
onto him. The suddenly the jungle vibrates with various calls in unison and
the monkey immediately scrambled to the nearby tree, for relative safety from
leopard-the predator. Animals calls, temple bell rings and at the top of the
highway truck coming in our directions and when the truck was about 100 mtr
away from us with its head lights on, we saw a large cat like silhouette crossing
the road and the truck coming in our direction also stopped seeing a leopard
crossing the road.
. An unique experience to see
and equally unique cat of the wild, experience that would leave goose pimples
to the weak hearted. Siana 175kms from Jodhpur
and Udaipur As the name suggests our intention
is to show the village culture and wildlife of the region. This is a safari
of four-wheeled jeep. The duration is about half a day. It begins with a tour
of Siana where the guest views the carpenters engaged in making wooden handicrafts,
which is followed by a visit to the potter's wheel, finally ended with a visit
to a Jain temple.
The next on the itinerary is a
Shepard village, which is remotely locate. The Shepards has one community that
it still retains its traditional way of life.
The evening drive around Aisrana
Range provides an opportunity to see the wildlife of the region. The high point
is the attempt to see the elusive leopard, the Indian stripped hyena, the desert
fox, the civet cat and the jungle cat. If the guest goes on safari for two nights,
there are good chances of seeing the leopard.
So while you are doing the incredible Rajasthan tour do take out a couple of
nights for this elusive mammal and be rest assured that you will be unconditionally
rewarded.