| Tiger Sightings |
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Ranthambhore is a dry-deciduous forest, which means that there is little undergrowth and most of the trees shed their leave in the dry season. Out of all the tiger reserves in India, Ranthambhore gets the least amount of rainfall and as a result there are very few patches with tall grasses. Besides, this Project Tiger reserve has an excellent network of forest tracks (that are motorable in the dry season).
All the above mentioned factors contribute to some great wildlife viewing, during safaris. Since there is little undergrowth and very few patches with tall and thick cover |
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| of grasses, the visibility is fantastic. The excellent network of forest tracks allows for much better tracking of animals from vehicles. Besides, most of the safari tracks in Ranthambhore, are actually heavily used animal tracks that have been widened to enable safari vehicles to drive on them. As a result, a lot of mega-fauna can be seen on or very near the forest tracks. |
This is particularly true for tigers. Tigers have very soft pads under their feet, which enables them to move silently - a very important adaptation for hunting. Due to this they prefer to walk on the safari tracks, which have soft sand covering, very little thorns, rocks and dried leave. Not only is it more comfortable for them when they are walking on the tracks but the soft sand and the relative absence of twigs and leaves enables them to walk silently, without alerting their prey.
Sighting tigers in the wild is totally a matter of chance but these chances can be improved considerably. Before going in for the safari it is important to have some knowledge of movement of tigers in the park in the last few days. Almost all the local guides and drivers (who are excellent in finding tigers) have this information. They mostly get this information from their own observations in the last few days and from the observation of other guides and drivers. Once you know the movement patterns of tigers in the last few days then it is possible to predict the areas where the chances of finding tigers are better. For instance, if you know that a particular tiger has got a Sambar deer kill in a particular place, then the chances are that the tiger would be in the same area for the next 2 to 3 days.
Another sign that is worth looking out for are pugmarks of tigers. Tigers leave behind footprints or pugmarks when they walk on soft soil. In the dry and soft soil of Ranthambore these are relatively easier to find. A good tracker can roughly estimate how long ago these tracks were made. If the tracks appear to be recent or "fresh" the it is definitely worth while to follow them till where you can. Pugmarks are definitely the most important signs that show the presence of one or more tiger.
When predators like tigers move, some of the prey species of the predators, give out loud calls of alarms or "alarm calls" to warn of the other prey animals in the vicinity. The calls of Sambar deer, Spotted deer, Nilgai and Langur monkeys are the loudest and most often heard. Loud and repeated calls in an area indicate to the presence of a predator in the area. It is a good idea to stop periodically, switch off the engine and wait for a few minutes to listen to alarm calls. The prey species do not always give alarm calls when they sight a predator, so the absence of alarm calls does not mean that there are no predators near by. But it does indicate that the chances of a predator being close by are low.
So when you go your tiger safari, look out for pugmarks and keep your ears open for alarm calls. This would tremendously improve your chances of finding tigers. However, you must always keep in mind that finding tigers in the wild is still a matter of chance and that there are no guarantees of finding one. |
| DO'S AND DONT'S FOR VISITORS TO THE RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK |
| DO'S |
| Maintain silence inside the Park. Take care of your children. Dress comfortably and soberly. Maintain a safe distance from the animals. Follow the instructions given by Forest Officials. Park vehicles only in parking areas and road layoffs. |
| DONT'S |
| Litter Swim or fish. Disturb the animals. Play music or make noise. Use spotlight, flash etc. Smoke, light a fire nor cook. Take pets inside the park. Carry weapons, explosives not toxic chemicals. Over speed, overtake nor honk inside the park. Get off the vehicle, except at specified places. Deviate from the allotted route. Crowd more than two vehicles at a spot. Overstay beyond the scheduled timings. Enter the park without proper entry permits. Encourage your driver to stay parked at one place. The entire park is exotic and tigers are found all over the park. |
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| Safari Timings |
| Months |
Morning |
| October – March |
06:30 – 10:30 Hrs
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| April - June |
06:00 – 09:30 Hrs |
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