Drives 1-2

While we were passing a big herd of Spotted Deer, suddenly Motiram our Guide silenced all of us and tapped the driver's shoulder indicating him to stop. He had heard some “alarm” call and suspected some predators nearby. The heard of deer also had frozen still and were all looking in same direction through the jungle towards a low rising ridge ahead.

Apparently they too heard the call and sensed some danger. A male-deer, perhaps the herd-leader, stepped gingerly ahead a few steps, to investigate. There was a sudden hush and quiet everywhere. Another Gypsy pulled up behind us and our Guide whispered to them to be quiet. We waited like this for 5 minutes.

Suddenly, the guide pointed towards some tall grass through the trees, some 400M away and said a tiger was coming down there, perhaps to cross the trail ahead of us, to enter the river stream on our right. I couldn’t see anything for a while; but then suddenly I too got a glimpse of the tiger and snapped a picture with maximum zoom. Motiram said it was one of Badi-maada’s cubs.

Motiram asked the driver to move up ahead some distance on the trail, so we can be near the tiger-cub when it crossed the trail path.

By the time we reached there, the tiger cub retreated back towards the ridge. It was then that Motiram looking back spotted another tiger cub crossing the path way behind us; from where we had come forward! It seemed as if we were hoodwinked! The first cub just played decoy to make us move away from where the cubs were planning to cross!?