Page 69 - World of Animals - Issue #29

Exotic India

Travel expert Asian elephant

Allan Blanchard is the owner and managing director of Wildlife Trails As well as their location,
India is the most exciting and rewarding wildlife Asian elephants are
safari location in Asia. We at Wildlife Trails have distinguished from African
travelled to India on safari more than 20 times since elephants by their smaller,
1997 and pride ourselves on our meticulous research rounded ears. These
and custom safaris, where you have the chance to greedy herbivores travel
see India’s Big Five: the tiger, leopard, lion, sloth bear and rhino. in herds, roaming large
Travel to the 12th century ruins of Ranthambore Fort in Rajasthan distances in their quest for
to watch tigers walking through the ruins of former palaces and 1 fruit, grass and bark.
temples, then head southwest to the dry, sun-bleached forests of
Sasan Gir in Gujarat, where you have the chance to see the last
Asiatic lions in the world. From here take a flight to the centre of
India and visit prime sloth bear habitat in Pench National Park.
Dhole 4
India is famous for its big cats, but the 2
Central Highlands are also home to this
pack-hunting wild canine. The dhole
(pronounced ‘dole’) is endangered as 3
a result of habitat loss and diseases
transmitted from stray domestic dogs.
Chital
These spotted deer are a favourite snack
for many predators, so they travel in large
groups, sometimes numbering into the Indian cobra
hundreds. They are often found under trees ‘Charmed’ by many
in which grey langur monkeys are feeding, an Indian street
feasting on dropped leftovers. performer, the cobra
is actually responding
Map key to the charmer as a
1 Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand 5 threat, by raising its
2 Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan front quarter off the
3 Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh ground and flattening
4 Kaziranga National Park, Assam its neck into a hood to
5 Periyar National Park, Kerala appear bigger.
Gaur
What you need to know The gaur, or Indian bison, is the largest
member of the bovine family alive today,
When to go with some individuals standing over two
Generally, aim to go between November metres (6.6 feet) tall. Most gaur herds
in India are concentrated in a few forest
and March, or April and November if you’re reserves in the south of the country.
heading to the mountains. Many national
parks are closed from July to October.
How to get there
The cheapest flights land in Mumbai, Delhi
and Chennai, which are good launch pads
for onward travel. UK residents must apply
for a visa before travelling.

What the weather will do
Avoid March to May, when it is stiflingly hot.
June to August is monsoon season, and
downpours are unpredictable. December
to January is pleasantly temperate.
What to take
Stock up on sunscreen and insect repellent,
and check if you need antimalarial tablets.
Bring plenty of socks, as shoes are banned
in many buildings. Earplugs are useful too!

What you’ll see
Book-ended between frozen mountains
and tropical ocean, India’s geographical
diversity is enviable, and so is the range of
wildlife waiting to be discovered within.

69