Elephant safari in search of a Tiger, a photo by Anuradha Sarup on Flickr.
Last week of February was my first proper visit to a Animal Sanctuary. The Jim Corbett National Park is situated right where the mighty Gangetic plains meet the mighty Himalayas.
We’d gone with the desire to photograph tigers. The elephants, deer, monkeys, countless birds just by-the-way.
A quick lunch and the first safari was on. Driving through the forest trails, learning to understand the sounds of the forest and it’s silences. Soon each animal started to hold it’s own importance. The magnificent Sambar below which crossed the road right beside our jeep or the shy but often heard Barking deer.
Finally when we did see a tiger, it was on an early morning elephant safari. The elephant ride through the forest was a not-to-be-missed experience. The way the group of elephants were made to flush out and chase the tigers however was saddening. It was my only sighting of a tiger. Seeing it the way it was, on the run. Hounded by shouting mahouts and jeep drivers, excited tourists who made enough noise to scare me away….
It was with relief that I got back to shooting ….. monkeys!!! 🙂
See more photographs from Corbett here
Photography tips:
- Zoom. Zoom. Zoom.
- Keep very quiet. Don’t be shy or polite to hushing other people.
- Be very patient. Wait don’t chase. Good things happen to those who wait.
