How to get better sightings of tigers in the jungle?

One frequent conversation that I have with my friends, colleagues and relatives is that how do I get to see the tiger while they have been on umpteen safaris but haven’t seen anything?

Some regular jokes are

“Arre, I thought there were no tigers in Corbett?”

“Do the forest guards stamp pug marks every morning or evening to save their job?”

“Been on 5/ 10 safaris but did not see a single animal? its a big scam”

“Next time we will go with you or pls take us with you next time”

Unlike Africa where you can spot lions, cheetahs and other animals from a distance, our Indian jungles are very dense, you can probably get to see a tiger only if you are very close to them or they are walking on the road ahead of you.

Spotting tigers is also not only about luck, which plays a very vital part, I have also been on 18 safaris straight and not seen a single tiger, there is some science as well. Remember you might not see the tiger but he sees you every time you are there.

Some tricks/ techniques  to better viewing according to me

• Try and stay inside the jungle or close to the entry gate you intend to visit 

• Choose a seasoned driver and a guide who will be your trackers in the forest

• Please ensure you wear jungle friendly clothes so that you merge in the jungle colours. While India loves it red, oranges and yellow, it is definitely a NO NO in the park.

• Be the first one to enter the park and last one to get out, which may mean getting up very very early in the morning.

• Spotting tigers is all about patience, it definitely pays off. You may have to wait at the same place in the summer heat or winter chill for hours together, remember to carry a good book with you ☺

• Let the professionals, i.e the drivers and guides do their job and not try and influence them or get angry with them

• Try and cover the maximum area in the forest, there are plenty of tigers and each of them has a territory. Your chances become better with the amount of area you cover in the park.

• Try and be silent in the forest and not make noise, remember the tiger is a very shy animal. It wants to avoid seeing you as much as you want to see them.

• Every time the tiger moves the chances of seeing them are much better. Its prey is very friendly to each other and warn others when it moves or sees the tiger by making sounds that we call alarm calls. it also tells us that it is nearby.

• Listen to the growl of the tiger, usually made during mating season by female or male tigers or alarm calls of cheetals, sambhar deer, monkeys and other animals. Your chance of spotting is far better if you are quiet and follow the calls/ sound.

• Tiger pug marks and scat also indicate the presence of the tiger, waiting near fresh marks / scat helps see them as well.

• Try and talk to other jeep drivers/ guides/ forest guards / elephant mahauts to check if they have heard or seen anything? Their last location helps us track them better.

• At the end of it, it is all about luck as you may miss it by seconds or just see the tail or the jeep ahead of you may have spotted it.

 The thrill for me is in trying to find one by chasing alarm calls and other jungle sounds then actually seeing one, but probably that’s me ☺

Don’t be disappointed if you don’t see one , remember the tiger is a very elusive and solitary animal and our jungles are very dense, if the tiger does not move, despite all our best effort to track them we don’t get to see them. So I tell everyone that go and enjoy the jungle smell that itself is worth every visit to the forest. There are loads of other mammals, birds, reptiles and insects, different trees, plants etc which you may never get to see again. Enjoy every moment, you may never experience the same thing again.