Rain Pain n Gain at the Indo-Burman Border

Place of xperience: Namdapha National Park

            I’m writing ma blog after nearly one and a half year and hope the readers have not forgotten ma blog posts. Regret from ma side to ma readers. Will be updating ma blog now and then from now. Was busy all these days and just got some time to put up ma xperiences in the field as a blog post writing. Before beginning the write up, I jus remembered a dialogue from a Hindi Film “Oh my God” starred by Paresh roval (hope spelling is correct) and Akshay Kumar. In the film, Paresh says Akshay at an instance when Akshay kumar gives Srimath Bhagawatgeetha (Holy book for Hindus) to Parvesh, Parvesh tells that he has thrown the book out of his shop as the book looks uninteresting as there no photos etc. and it makes readers get bored. So here too, I donn wann make ma readers get bored by writing paras and paras. What I do is put up some small clips of the forests and animals. What say people? Ok right. Let me proceed.

            As usually, I have started ma travel with my field assistant Biron to reach the place and as described in the earlier posts, you people might understand how the journey will be usually. A long hectic and backbone disk relocating journey I would say. However, reached the place and got the permits to enter the National Park cum Tiger reserve. The research officer of the park being ma fren asked me to stay back for a day as the forest department is celebrating Raksha Bandan Divas by asking school children to prepare Rakhi’s to tie them to trees and the enclosures in the zoo having animals. Just as a sort of mass awareness program. It went on well and I was privileged as being invited as a guest for distributing the prizes and even biron got the chance to do so. Next day me and research officer left to camp site and made our stay. It was hot and humid as one can xpericence how the tropical rain forests would be. It was much irritating moment for me and staying in the tents have even made the situation worse as we sweat like pigs inside the tents and literally the tent floor got damped due to flowing sweat. Ok no more pulling. Coming to the next part.

Initial Walks: 

We set on a go for a night walk and on the first lucky day itself, we got something interesting. I was leading the team and was ahead of everyone. I saw some shine and the animal disappeared from the path at an instance. I asked ma assistants to flash the lights n nothing was there. I described the size etc. and ma assistant (Erebo the 2^nd assis) told that it might be a leopard (as there were lot of sightings of a leopard couple around the camp site). But ma subconscious mind was not accepting it. As I went ahead, I sighted the shine and took the flash light to identify the animal and it was still unclear. I asked ma assistants to flash the spot lights now (which I usually use less as they literally make the animal blind and deaf, I mean the animal will not even know whatz happening in its front. That’s it. It doesn’t hurt the animal).  It was the lovely leopard cat sitting over a liana downslope. It was on a search for its prey and stayed there for a minute and disappeared into the bushes. I know the questions flash in your minds, have I photographed it. And I would say no. None of us. I took a camera which was new and I din even move a muscle looking at the lovely animal and more over, I have to take out the camera from the pouch, put the lenses and adjust the settings which would take a whole lot of time and I din wanted to miss the lovely sighting by doing such non-sense. The walk went on and there was a Bengal slow loris sighting that night. Few null nights (zero sighting) went on after that and the research officer left the camp site to attend an official work. My work went on however as I have to collect ma data with regard to ma PhD.

Party Time:

         After few days came the SriKrishna Janmasthami (Lord Sri Krishna’s B’day) and my name even being so, I asked the cook to prepare some sweet dish so that everyone in the came might n’joy it. And the cook did so even. Around 10.30 in the night, the cook calls me and asks me attend the small group of people who were uttering some bhajans keerthans and more over it was a very polite call. I thought of nt denying it and attended it. They gave me some instrument to play which produces small sound when I hit it to ma palm during the bhajans and they all were happy that I have joined them. They severed me the red tea and dishes and after 12:00, we had our dinner all together. The cook and the local staff were happy as they all had only such moments where they can n’joy as they live for months inside the jungle where even mobile connectivity in this 21^st century doesn’t even reach.

Rain Forest Experience:

            I being from a dry area I mean hot area have no idea what rain forests are till ma graduation. But I experienced the true rain forest this time as the name signifies or tells what all “Rain” forest is. Yes it is named aptly. It rained and rained all day for nearly 10 days and even rained on the day I left from the camp (more over it was a forceful retrieval from the camp as it started flooding and I would have got jammed inside the jungle if I would have not did so). It rained from the time I wake till I sleep. So there was little work that happened during this spell. But I never miss a opportunity. I had night walks during the short dry spells in the nights. So now you might understand what excites you is the what more sighting might I have made right?? Ok let me go on.

Leopards, Flying Squirrels, Snakes, Lorises, Civets & Leopard cat retreat:

            

              Frankly to tell, animals in Northeast India are elusive and very shy. So more sightings would be during the calm hours i.e., nights. Yes. Also, hunting at rampant in these areas has made the animals to be elusive I would say. And more overnight hours are ma favorite to make moves in the jungle. Literally I have habituated myself like Owls which sleep in the day and active in the nights with their powerful nocturnal vision. Ok now heading back to the narration path, during the nights, my walks continued. One night we walked for nearly 4kms and there were no sightings and I thought that this was even a null night even and continued walking. I tucked something with ma heavy boots (usually I won’t see the forest floor as ma search always remain in the canopy with a headlamp mounted over ma cap for detecting the shine) ma assistant pushed me and I literally tumbled. I asked him what happened. He showed me a Pit viper (mostly a mountain pit viper) what I tucked was its head. It was in an aggressive mood and was mocking as if to fang. I was happy to see it and tried photographing it. As you know in animal dilagoues “these stupid boy photographs everything which appears in the path. Sorry buddy I have to leave… Let me search ma food” and it disappeared rapidly into the bushes. Ma walk continued and there were two pretty slow lorises and they were utterly cute. Ma walk continued and a rodent was on the path and I really donn know why it din even move when we flashed light at it (might be terrified). I photographed and slowly it too disappeared into the bushes. Ma walk continued and I stopped at another eye shine and ran to the place. It was another slow loris. This loris posed for some lovely clips. We took out our GPS, took the reading and I was noting few things in my pocket dairy. Suddenly, I saw a something heading towards us. It looked like a devil and the eyeshine was very strong. The gap between the eyes was even less. On better observation, it was a leopard. It ran immediately when I flashed ma head lamp at it. I took ma assistants to follow it but we were so unlucky that it disappeared into the bushes downhill. I was excited. Ma walk continued and I again tucked at something as usually ma assistant pushed me and I saw a Green colored Pitviper (in the process of identification, probably might be a new addition to the snakes of India. Pic sent to herp expert for identification). It looked so aggressive and the same after photographing, it disappeared into the bushes. The other nights were even delightful with the sightings of Masked Palm civet and Leopard cat. Ok I have not mentioned flying squirrels right they being ma part of research, were sighted on all ma search nights as ma main focus was on them. 

Return back:

             

                    After all these xperiences, as it was raining like hell and it started flooding, on the advice of the forest staff, I left the camp and returned back to ma university as even the ration that I carried was about to get emptied. The same disk relocation journey back way. Long sleep after ma return to university continued. Ha ha. Bye for now. See you all on ma next blog post. Tata.