I looked around and saw that there were many small holes on the short wall for air and assumed that the snake must have entered in the hut from one of these holes. The hut was near an irrigation canal and the snake must have come from this to the hut as the distance is hardly 40-50 feet. They also said that they saw the snakes in past few days in the irrigation canal. I tried to bag the snake with the help of the equipment that I made but the angry and disturbed snake was not ready to go in the PVC pipe. It was quite difficult also due to small and dark hut. A disturbed King Cobra which is around 10 feet with an attacking range of 3 feet is not easy to handle in such a small hut. After several unsuccessful attempts I decided to get the snake out of the hut in open area. It was not difficult to bring the snake out from the hut and it came out easily. The moment the king cobra came out it started running fast to another house nearby. I went with a big log and lift it in the air so that it cannot enter another house. In this whole episode the snake became angrier and tried to attack more aggressively. I asked for a big basket which I got immediately and then with the help of the log allowed the snake to go under it.

The snake felt relaxed under the basket in dark as it was not moving. After this I asked to bring 3-4 bucket water and poured it over the basket to make the snake calm. Luckily I got some cold water also which helped further to make it calm. The next thing was to bag the snake in a sac which was with me after a little delay. But this was good as the snake was resting under the basket during this time delay. I asked one of the courageous guys to hold the wide open sack with the help of a long bamboo. I lifted the basket with the help of the log and saw that the snake was calm now. I removed the basket completely and asked the fellow to hold the sack. Now the snake was also cooperating with us and was not moving much. I lifted the king cobra with the log high in the air and moved it into the open sack. The snake went in without much effort and we tied the mouth of the sack with the help of a rope. The snake was safely bagged and everybody around was relaxed. By this time forest staff was also there and I asked them where to release the snake. I was told that the snake has to be released in the Dhikala zone of Park.

Since the place was a bit far and we had to go in a vehicle to the point of release I asked for a bucket with half filled with water so that I can keep the snake in it to keep it cool during the time of transfer. We took the snake to a place called Sajgadi Sot (stream) as this is a kind of habitat which king cobra likes. We released the snake a little far from the road where there was some water. Just after the release it went fast towards the water.

This is the third incident where a king cobra entered a human settlement in last five years and luckily this was also rescued and released safely back into their natural habitat. What good thing I have observed in such cases people are more aware now about snakes and instead of killing snakes they call for help and report it to forest department or other people about this.

After landing and a bumpy but not too long drive to Tiger Camp at Corbett National Park, I was met by the most amazingly smiley faces, welcoming me at the reception with warmth and friendliness. As previously mentioned the wildlife I knew was going to be exotic and amazing but on my first day I never expected to be called into the ‘fun ranger’ Mikma’s hut to be greeted by the biggest lizard I had ever seen, a monitor lizard clinging on to the side of the hut with huge claws. Its beady eyes and body not moving an inch, it didn’t even look like it was breathing. Definitely a good start to this trip!

One of Vanghat's many pools

The next day we jumped into the back of a Gypsy we set off for the short drive to Vanghat, in the Ramganga Valley. On route we saw a crested serpent eagle soar above us and land on a nearby branch with a snake in its claws, as well as a lesser fish eagle rising in the airs hot vents. 

That evening at Vanghat we walked to a beautiful deep slow flowing pool hidden in the valley where we could see the huge golden mahseer swimming below us. On the walk we came across all types of fantastic birds, greater yellownape woodpeckers, crested kingfishers, slaty-headed and plum headed parakeets, pallas and lesser fish eagles and the stunning Asian paradise flycatcher with its long trailing tail feathers and most impressive a tawny fish owl,  which peered eagerly down at us.

Other mammal sightings included a growling wild boar as we disturbed its rummage in the bushes, a porcupine nuzzling in the undergrowth for food and Sambar and Barking Deer. It’s not just the sights of these animals that filled me with awe but the sounds were enlivening. From every angle birds chirped and mammals called.

Elephants in Dhikala

Well this is the trip I had been waiting for and I had heard many stories about people seeing the famous tigers of Corbett national park and little did I know that the next 3 days were going to be some of the best of my whole life. Dhikala was the area in the national park we were going into. The elephants were in abundance, for their size they moved so graciously and there herds were so protective of the tiny calves. Mothers and aunties would hide them as they crossed the track In front of us. One thing which I was astounded by with these huge creatures was the way they moved – silently, effortlessly you wouldn’t know they were there unless they made it really obvious! A big mugger swam at the area called high bank. No tiger today and I wasn’t holding my breath – ‘Do these elusive, fine-looking creatures really let you see them?’ I just couldn’t imagine it.

Heather in safari

Pied kingfishers dove in and out of the river collecting fish, a green and chestnut-headed bee-eaters in the grasslands, crested serpent eagles and the  huge pallas’s fish eagles scouring the river for prey. More exciting moments were to come when a large female elephant protecting its herd charged at us, was one of the scariest moments of the trip but highly exhilarating.

After the morning safari we opted for an afternoon on the watchtower. The watch tower was a large structure overlooking a river bed and many of the animals came here to drink especially in the 40’C mid day sun. Sitting there for 5 hours in the searing heat may not be everyone’s idea of fun but it was worth it, sighting a tiger one was going back into the bushes from the river. As well as wild boar having a dip to cool down we saw hog deer on the grasslands and jackals running playfully.

Once our time was up we were picked back up and headed back to camp for an elephant safari which was unfortunately cancelled due to some bad weather coming in but little did I know this was a good thing. Instead of the elephant ride we headed off again by gypsy for an evening safari. Weather was worsening so we weren’t hoping for many sightings as most of the animals would surely be sheltering from the storm? Divan our driver who had been brilliant the whole time suddenly spotted a tiger across the river heading back towards the long grass of the chaur. We stopped and looked through the binoculars and sure enough there it was leisurely strolling into the tall grass. It disappeared from view and bizarrely appearing a few seconds later in what looked like the same place stood a cheetal deer. Was it just this deer playing tricks on all our eyes or was it really a tiger!? After another 20 seconds of looking through the binoculars it was then that I spotted the tiger, watching the cheetal. It was going to kill. I said to those around me whatever you do keep an eye on that deer, its going to be prey!! We watched for what seemed like no time at all as the tiger slowly crept up behind the unsuspecting cheetal. Then the cheetals head darted up – it had heard the Tiger. With eye on the cheetal the tiger leapt through the grasses and with one swoop of its powerful paws it brought the cheetal down. With hardly a struggle the tiger had its jaws round its throat and in seconds the cheetal did not move. The tiger had it and I saw it!!! As if that wasn’t enough a 2nd Tiger emerged from the opposite side and walked towards the tiger and cheetal it had just killed. I must be dreaming I thought, this is surely too good to be true, a real life tiger kill, no one see’s this! With a gust of wind and dust flying in our faces we watched from a distance as the tigers took its prey and slinked off into the grasses! Now that was a lifetime experience!!

It was amazing to see and something that will stay in my mind forever. It was pretty gruesome but a fact of life, one which I understand has to happen to keep these extraordinary animals alive.

Elephant bath!

Next morning we had to leave the camp but not before we had our last safari. We headed off in a different direction to the routes we had taken previously and went to the reservoir where we saw basking Gharial & mugger crocodiles and woolly necked storks sitting on the banks looking for fish. We also saw black franklins on the grasslands, red headed vultures circling above us, ashy prinias and 3 brown fish owls sitting in one tree, perfectly camouflaged. Later we saw the beautiful Indian roller having a good old roll on the track in front of us and a jungle owlet swooping through the trees finding lizards for breakfast. I really don’t think I could have asked for more.

My time in Corbett National Park was now over. It’s not just the Tigers I came to see, that was just an added bonus, but the vast array of birds, mammals and reptiles. Every time I walked or was driven around the area, I was guaranteed to see something new. It fulfilled my lifetime ambition as well as giving me a new love for birding and exploration. I loved India and I will be back.

White-Rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus)

We all at some point in our life are fascinated with birds. During our childhood days, our adulthood or old age. Birds are found in different shape, size and colour. Birds are in true sense a gift of Mother Nature to us. Birds are a very special life form on earth as these winged creatures are capable of flying, running and even some can swim. Not all birds can fly like kiwi, ostrich. In many birds male and female birds of same species are of different colour this is called sexual dimorphism. Usually males are more beautiful and females are little dull in colour. This helps the female in choosing the best male for mating while their dull colour protects them from their enemies while they lay their eggs on the nest.

Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja)

There are over 1500 species of birds found in India and more than 600 are recorded in Corbett region. Some of them are resident birds while some are migratory. Due to the geographical location of Corbett one can see summer and winter visitor birds in Corbett. Some birds do local migration while some birds come from other countries mainly ducks which come to this region during winters. Birds are found in different types of habitats. They live in water bodies, swamps, grasslands, riverbeds, dense forests and scrub forests.

Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela)

Today many tourists visit places to see birds only. Uttarakhand with its rich wildlife is always a favourite destination for nature and wildlife lovers. But unfortunately we are not yet successful to attract more tourists from this segment. After religious tourism it is wildlife tourism which can earn handsome revenue to the state and can also generate employment for local unemployed youth. Government along private partners should work on strategies so that we can bring wildlife tourists to our state. We need to highlight other fauna like birds found in our forests and should organize bird watching or census programme on regular basis. It will not only attract birders but we will also be able to understand about their population etc.

Red-Vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)

Birds not only look beautiful but are very important for us. They play an important role in the ecosystem. They control the insects and other animals number. They are a very good pest controller as well as they also help in regeneration of forest through seed dispersal. They disperse seeds from one place to another and that is how trees of different species grow at different places. Some birds are fruit eating, some are insect eater some birds are carnivores (raptors) while some are scavengers. All these birds do various important tasks in the nature, some control the insects’ numbers while some take seeds of trees to other place. Some kills rats, snakes while some clean our environment by eating dead animals.

When one is doing bird watching there are many things one can note like their size, colour, special feature like, beak, legs, behaviour, place and time where the bird was seen. Few things are necessary for watching birds like a pair of binoculars, a field guide book about birds, a note pad and a pen or a pencil. At first one can start this as a hobby but after some experience and tips from experienced person anybody can become a good bird watcher. Great degree of patience is required for this.

In Corbett Tiger Reserve many species of raptors, kingfishers, woodpeckers, flycatchers, parakeets, drongos, orioles, sunbirds, owls, bulbuls, laughing thrush are found.

It usually keeps to the surface of the water. When freshly caught in running water, its coloring is most beautiful. The brilliant silver of its scales contrasts with the pale greenish sheen of its back, giving a fleeting radiance. Chilwa has a habit of continually throwing itself into the air on calm still evenings.

Chilwa make excellent bait for mahseer. It is perhaps the most appreciated bait by mahseer. If Chilwa is seen moving in the river, it can be safely assumed that the larger fish are on the prowl and good sport is imminent.

Chilwa love fly-takers, occasionally jumping right out of the water in pursuit of flies! Quick striking and small flees are two of the sine qua nons for catching them. Some anglers spend hours with a tiny fly, amusing themselves snagging this fish.

It is silvery in color and has two or more rows of bluish blotches along the sides. Its caudal fin is orange stained with grey and black, while all other fins are orange. It is a highly predatory fish and frequents the runs in search of food. A voracious feeder, it will take live and dead bait, worm, spoon and a fly, and possibly other things which you might not be able to think of. When hooked, it gets infuriated and often leaps out of water in an attempt to get free.

Domunda the confluence of Ramganga and Mandal is perhaps the best spot to hook the Indian trout in this area and on several occasions we have caught half a dozen in a morning session with fly spoon or fly. Indian Trout is also found in the adjoining Kosi river.

The Indian trout is a tasty morsel and so are the other barils. The best on the plate is the one which has blue spots in place of red and lacks the adipose dorsal fin. It has large irregular brown or black markings and cross bands and yellow flesh that makes a good meal. The Indian Trout is good Bait for mahseer—the small ones are particularly loved by the mahseer, so they make an excellent live or dead bait.

A true bottom feeder the Kalabanse, its mouth protrudes downwards when open and has a distinct fringe on the upper lip. It has a partiality for mossy, slippery rocks and sunken trees in the river and can be seen playing about in such places, sucking and rubbing its sides against the rock or trees, as the case may be.

Kalabanse is a game fish and takes bait—paste or worms as well as usual tank angling baits. When hooked it fights most gamely, coming up to the surface and going down as fast, though it may not have the mad rushes of the Mahseer, yet it will not give in.

Goonch is a predaceous fish and lies in wait for its food in the swiftest water of the rapids, where it maintains position by adhering to rocks by means of its smooth chest and fins.

Goonch lie at the extremes of white water and are partial to the depths of the largest pools if there is a current slicing through them. Though very strong, they are sullen to a degree and sluggish in their movements especially on being hooked.

They sometimes take spoons and plug but are best on live bait (eel) spun very slowly. Once hooked, they go straight for the bottom. It is then the pull…devil…pull baker act which ensues, sometimes ending in favor of the fish.

To wear him out once snagged, tie your line to a fair-sized bamboo. Cut the line and allow the bamboo to float in the water. The bamboo bobbing in the current will keep a continuous strain on the goonch and hopefully by the end of the day it will be played out. If not, look for the bamboo next day.

Mostly, the goonch runs to about 250 lbs, though the largest that has been caught on a rod line was 164 lbs near Marchula and we believe the American angler who snagged it in January 2001, had to use both hands to land the big guy.

At the Corbett Tiger Reserve, the Jhirna Jhali pool, also referred to as the crocodile pool, is the best place to observe (only!) goonch. The pool is virtually packed with this fish! This rare giant has also been caught in the Marchula area, Jainal and Govind Rou of Vanghat beat. Undoubtedly, goonch is one of the most threatened big fish of the Ramganga.

The mahseer shows more sport for its size then a salmon and therefore considered the best sportfish in the world….this is what snobs (??) of the Raj era had to say. Mahseer have overjoyed generations of anglers and time after time lived up to being called the “Mighty Mahseer”.

A Legend: One of the fascinating narrations of Jim Corbett in his book “Man-eater of Kumaon” is about his fishing for mahseer in a river that flowed for some 60 km through a beautiful valley teeming with wildlife. The chapter titled ‘Fish of my dreams’ narrates how the air then was filled with the fragrance of flower and the spring songs of a multitude of birds. Corbett exclaimed that angling for mahseer in a sub-montane river in that atmosphere was a sport fit for the kings!

While Corbett felt that the 50 lb mahseer he had caught could be forgotten, what would remain etched in his mind was the sublime surroundings in which he had caught the fish. His description of the river and surroundings seem to bring to life the Ramganga valley of the Corbett Tiger Reserve which is till one of the few strong holds of mahseer in India.

A Brief: The mahseer is a freshwater fish that can attain a huge size. A 70-80 kg catch has not been uncommon in this area which boasts fish which can grow to weights exceeding 100 kg.

Most mahseer take the bait quite avidly which perhaps has helped cultivate an erroneous impression of it being carnivorous and rapacious by nature. Studies have proven that mahseer are omnivorous and take almost anything—weeds, snails, crabs and live fish. The etymology of ‘mahseer’ throws up interesting clues. The word could mean a fish with ‘Lion’s gameness’, ‘large-scaled fish’, ‘large-headed fish’ or ‘fish par excellence’!

Distribution: Mahseer inhabit most river and reservoirs of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Burma and Sri Lanka. Mahseer experts have recognized six to eight different species in India but no detailed information on the present status and distribution of each of these species is available. Different species of mahseer inhabit different habitats ranging from tropical water where the temperature in summer goes up to 35°C to sub-Himalayan waters where the winter water temperature drops close to 0°C. Mahseer can be found in streams a few metres above sea level and also in fast moving waters at altitudes of 2,000 m or more.

Ramganga: The mahseer species found in the Corbett Tiger Reserve is the golden variety (Tor putitora), graces the Ramganga river and weights up to 25 kgs. The biggest caught, weighed and photographed on the Vanghat beat was a 68 pounder in April 2004 by Mark Fielden from UK. Another Mahseer almost caught by Vish Satappam and George Fanthom, presumed to be over 70 lbs, literally dragged the rod away (which was later retrieved) and escaped.

Endangered mahseer: Accurate data on the catches of mahseer from different parts of the country is woefully lacking, however compression of figures from a few isolated surveys as well as observations of anglers and biologists indicate that there is a serious decline in the mahseer numbers in the country.

The decline is due to a combination of factors —unchecked and indiscriminate fishing, dynamiting and poisoning of rivers which destroys even the brood fish and juveniles, pollution and siltation of river bodies and construction of dams which has impeded the migration of mahseer, a factor crucial for its spawning. Unfortunately for mahseer, when compared to other commercial fish, it is more prone to depletion and extinction.

Spawning: A prime habitat requirement of the mahseer is clean water, which is fast becoming a scarcity. Favored mahseer spawning grounds are calm, well-oxygenated waters with a bed of sand or gravel. Journey to such grounds is fraught with risk and dangers. The fecundity of mahseer as compared to the commercially exploited species is very low. For example the Deccan or Khudree mahseer (Tor Khudree) has 6,000 eggs/kg body weight of rohu (Labeo Rohita) and 1,33,000 eggs/kg body weight of catla (Catla Catla).

The eggs of mahseer are demersal or capable of sinking to the river bed and therefore, mud instead of sand or gravel on the river bed can cause them to simply perish. The hatching period for Khudree mahseer is 60-80 hours while that of Golden or Himalayan mahseer is 80-96 hours as compared to the meagre18 hours for catla and rohu. Further, the semi-quiescent stage soon after hatching is three days for catla and rohu, while it is six days for Khudree mahseer. We can safely infer then that the mahseer is more vulnerable to all forms of decimation. If it is to survive throughout its range, there is an urgent need to plan and implement strict conservations measures.

Sumantha caught a Mahseer

Mahseer Haven: Ramganga river, where Corbett fished for his dinner, has over this century undergone a major change due to the construction of a dam at Kalagarh in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Consequently, the water in the reservoir encompasses an area of 60 sq km in summers and 80 sq km in the winter months. With the monsoons of July-August, areas around the 16 km of the river from Kalagarh to Dhikala stands inundated. Fortunately, the 32 km stretch of river a little upstream of Vanghat, (from where it enters the Corbett Tiger Reserve) right up to Dhikala, remains what it was a hundred year ago—a spectator to the abundant wildlife on both the banks. Mandal and Plain rivers, the upstream tributaries of the Ramganga, are vital spawning grounds for the Mahseer of the Tiger Reserve. Spawning usually occurs in the month of August.

Khatta in the past were used by people from the mountains who would camp here during their barter trips locally called Dhakar to the Ramnagar bazaar. Similarly many herdsmen from mountains would camp in these Khattas as their winter dwellings with there cattle.

Khatta’s are forest land and therefore the present day village of Ringora does not have revenue village status and treated like Forest village. Being located in the vicinity of the CTR these Khatta villages are greatly dependent on fodder from the forest for there cattle. Agricultural productivity is poor since irrigation is not provided and whatever little that grows if damaged by wild herbivores no compensation is provided except for damage caused by elephants. Compensation is however provided for livestock depredation by the Forest department. Therefore there exists a situation where both the local people and the surrounding wildlife pose problems to each other

Such traditional forest villages surrounded by rare fauna and flora are today the most important areas to target grassroots awareness programmes, in order to foster an understanding and tolerance of wildlife, especially amongst the children.

Neema

In the village of Ringora, dist. Nainital, a girl named Neema is making artefact using local raw material, the “saan”. Her products are the only local creation that can be found in and around Corbett, making it priceless.

But Neema is not only a brand, it represents a whole history of Kumaoni women who work incredibly hard every day. Their daily life starts early morning, where they go inside the jungle to collect firewood and grass, to cook and heat the houses, to feed the cattle but also to collect this particular grass that is much needed to repair the roofs and that can be sold at a good price.

Ringora woman coming back from grass cutting

Those women are putting their lives in danger, since every venue inside the jungle can be matched with potential wildlife encounter. Tiger are the best known mammals to attack villagers, but they are not the only ones. A list of many animals including leopard, bear, elephant and snake can turn the whole excursion into a sad day. But they have no choice. The government is given almost no alternative to this wood collection, and for many villagers – not only in Corbett, but everywhere in India – the free wood and grass that forests are providing is the assurance of the next meals.

When they come back from the jungle, women have to prepare food, take care of the children, work in the fields, do the family laundry, go to collect water from the water source, they hardly rest. And the most amazing thing among all those women is that they never complain.

From my European point of view, I find them to be amazingly brave, physically and mentally strong. I love spending time with them since everything is a pretext to have a laugh, they enjoy life as it is and they would give quite a lecture to many people’s behaviour and way of thinking.

Neema bag

Neema doll

Neema’s products, dexterously made, comprise hand bags for a classy touch and also a range of dolls, the “Neema dolls” that are the representation of a Kumaoni women, carrying a load of wood or grass on their heads. This girl is the ambassador of many women, and by making those artefacts, she definitely gives a shout that those women are important in so many ways and people should never forget that they exist and they are ready to stand for their rights.  By purchasing the Neema’s handicrafts, people are directly improving the lives of the girls who are making them, contributing to the girls and women empowerment of forgotten villages, like Ringora.

Neema making dolls in her Ringora house

If you want to buy some Neema artefacts, please contact us at mahseerconservancy@gmail.com