Trail Tales: December 2012

Shadow Forest

Being chased by an elephant is not funny but perhaps as an afterthought, it is. I was in the heart of Pakke Tiger Reserve, a 800 sq. km. verdant forest situated on the border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Out on an early bird watching sojourn, I wandered alone on the main trail or was I really alone? Ahead on the trail I saw the Panchali camp elephant Rajah, having an early morning breakfast on the side of the road. I cut short my trail and turned back. To make up for lost distance I ventured just a few meters off the main trail and into the undergrowth to look for beauties like Niltava, Tesia and Puff throated babblers, who are usually only heard and not seen.

The sun rays still not at their strongest failed to pierce the shadows in the undergrowth. I stood alert for any sound or the slightest of movements while a Tesia and a Niltava gave me the briefest of looks and melted away. Behind me at the point where I entered the thicket suddenly materialised Rajah, deciding that the ginger leaves that he is partial to, are more succulent in only that part of the forest he stood there munching away merrily. Having heard many stories of Makhna’s (tusk less elephants) chomping on human heads and elephant tails alike, I was not particularly keen on knowing what a full grown tusker would do next. I froze, the birds were forgotten and the thicket a minute before filled with bird song became unnaturally quiet and the only sound filling my ears was my heart beating at an insane rate. Rajah now decided that the cool of the undergrowth was far more appealing than the early morning sun, he turned his magnificent head with his beautiful ivory tusks and started to walk resolutely towards me. Perhaps he only wanted to say hello or maybe off with her head, I did not wait to find out and crashing through the undergrowth made my way to the main trail. On reaching the camp I found that Rajah has a penchant for not allowing people out of the camp and if left free to graze claimed the whole trail to himself, not allowing anyone to pass until his mahout got him out of the way. This mischievous streak in Rajah and other camp elephants is as charming as it is terrifying at the same time.

Pakke is full of such classic stories. The incident of how Manek, another camp elephant who had run away since 2 months was finally found and captured, lured with countless buckets of rice and salt licks and how the Mahouts fought amongst themselves as to who would first mount him so as to claim the Rs. 5000 award announced by the DFO and how all the Mahout's and their Jugali's (helper) and anyone remotely connected or not, trooped to claim the reward and then party is the stuff Gerald Durrell books are made of. Pakke is simply magical.

Plumbeous Water Redstart (Rhyaconis fuliginosus)

I stayed in Pakke for twelve days as a volunteer to help Nandini Velho, a PHd student from James Cook University, with another volunteer Binod Borah for company. Twelve days of sheer bliss, days spent walking, bird watching, talking to the forest watchers and enjoying wide open skies and beautiful landscapes. Gently undulating hills and mid-sized mountains form a major part of the Pakke landscape and add to it year round gurgling streams. Bauhinia trees in full bloom, birds calling from every bush and tree, bugs like fat bomber planes flying above the streams was an everyday scene. Barking deer’s announced my arrival into their territory with dog like barks, Elephant, Tiger, Leopard and Gaur signs in every available soft sand and muddy shore, Pakke is a wild lifers paradise.

Early morning in Pakke

The villages surrounding Pakke are home to indigenous tribes like the “Nyishi”, hunting is a part of their life and even today they are expert hunters and trackers and a great shot be it a gun or bow and arrow. Just a couple of years back Pakke was open hunting ground and logging was rampant. Hunting parties would catch anything they could get their hands on, as a result wildlife had depleted and the forest was empty of the calls of squirrel's and hornbill's and the barking deer.

A Barking Deer (Muntiacus muntjak) peeking out through the undergrowth in the early morning sunlight.

So how is it that today the forest is well and alive with animals? To make it what it is today, has taken immense efforts on part of the FD mainly the current DFO Mr. Tana Tapi. He mobilised a band of forest watchers STPF (Special Tiger Protection Force) giving them shoot on sight orders for poachers. Though that may be the case, he has also like a headmaster correcting an errant child, literally caned a couple of the caught poachers and given them a choice, either work for the forest or else don't expect to be alive next time. Many of the poachers now work with the FD to protect the very forest where they earlier hunted.

Loving yet stern, approachable yet gruff but respected and loved by one and all, Tana Tapi and his band of raggedy ann soldiers, most of whom work on minimum wages, is what holds Pakke together. And the results are there for anyone to see. Malayan Giant Squirrel’s like giant rufous balls of fur, chatter away in the canopy while their cousins the Red bellied squirrels keep them company. Wreathed, Great and Oriental Hornbills announce their arrival with a loud whooshing sound of their wings. One dark night we heard a flying squirrel calling “Oh Aai”, a call our guide Koliya had heard again after 27 long years. We also got to hear the charming folk story behind the flying squirrels call.

Malayan Giant Squirrel (Ratufa bicolour)

River Heliodor (Rhinocypha sps.)

Stream Glory (Neurobasis chinensis)

River Lapwings gave voice to the gentle streams near Denai and DG camps. Crested Kingfisher’s, Plumbeous Water Redstart's, White wagtail's, glittering River Heliodor's and Stream Glories called home the stream near upper Dekorai camp. Butterflies and Elephants like wild party animals hogged all the best watering holes. Bird-wings and Paris Peacocks, Orange Oak Leaf and Dragon-tails, Fluffy tits and Lacewings all became active in the late afternoon sun. The quiet trails carved out by the beat guards were their favorite haunts, flying soundlessly they added motion to the quiet afternoons while still maintaining the sanctity. Night came quickly and by 4:30 p.m. it was sundown with the shadows lengthening fast and by 6:00 p.m. it used to be pitch dark and the sky ablaze with a million stars like coins spread on a deep blue cloth.

Paris Peacock Butterfly (Papilio paris)

Leopard Lacewing Butterfly (Cethosia cyane)

Mating Pair of Fluffy Tit Butterfly (Zeltus etolus)

Orange Oakleaf Butterfly (Kallima inachus)

Late evenings were spent chatting with the forest watchers, as we sat around a blazing fire to combat the winter chill and share stories about the forest, stories about the various animals they encountered during their patrol and about their lives outside of the park. And in the process I heard the most hilarious of wildlife stories and I was amazed with how shy they were and yet how readily they became friendly and welcomed us into their fold, and to watch their easy camaraderie was a joy. Pakke will remain in my mind for a long time, my sunny place to be on dark days. Hope this place endures unscathed for many generations and they may experience firsthand the magic that is Pakke.