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Stripes of Wild India


michael-ibk

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Spectacular pictures of a place I have always wanted to go- Kaziranga National Park.

 

Along with the Indian rhino pictures, I particularly liked this landscape you photographed brilliantly. You appear to be at a significant elevation- are you in an aircraft here or on a high ridge looking down.

 

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We were in a stable, easy-to-climb tower.

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michael-ibk

Day 2 in Kaziranga

 

We had booked our elephant ride for this morning. As a foreigner this takes place in Central Zone, Indians apparently go to the Western Zone. There are two time slots, starting at 05:30 or at 06:30. We opted for the latter, were first told it couldn´t be completely assured which one we´d get and then were told, yes, it would be 06:30.

 

Somebody knocked next morning, and when we drowsily staggered to breakfast after getting up we realized we were one hour early! The knock had been for the room next door (on that door), and Lynn had just heard me saying "Yes, thank you", so naturally assumed it was our time. It wasn´t. Well, who needs sleep anyway. :)

 

The starting point for the elephant ride is inside the park, we reached the gate at about 06:30.

 

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Waiting for entrance at the gate. All gypsies in the park basically look like this, quite small, very mobile, and ok for photography. The metal poles were not ideal for stabilizing but were still helpful. Previously, a very weird model was in use, and we had specifically asked to get a different one.

 

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The old model, with the inward-facing seats. I remember the report by @@inyathi cursing this design, and we were glad that this model had been phased out anyway, we never saw such a gypsy inside the park.

 

But I disgress.

 

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The starting point for the elephant ride. As you can see above, there are forward-facing seats on the eles here, which is much better for photography than the "two persons on each side back-to-back" design in use in Corbett for example. More stability, better view. But ... an elephant´s back is broad indeed, and it really is quite uncomfortable to spread the legs for over one hour. If possible, go for a small elephant, I definitely would try to next time.

 

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The three of us were together on one ele, with her calf trotting along. We first saw deer of course, Hog Deer, Hog Deer and Hog Deer.

 

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And Swamp Deer, the Eastern Barasinga to be exact:

 

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But, of course, Deer were not our target animals here - we wanted Rhinos! And indeed, in a bit more than an hour, we would find nine of them, including some babies. Bliss!

 

Just one problem, this is high elephant grass area:

 

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So while it´s great seeing the Rhinos, it´s not easy getting pictures, and the swaying gait of the elephant is not helping. So 90 % of photos are headless grey somethings in grass:

 

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Fortunately, at least a few shots turned out alright.

 

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Really no need for big lenses here, it´s often a distance of less than 10 metres to the Rhinos, they don´t mind the elephants at all.

 

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And the Elephants don´t mind them neither, not even our little friend keeping us company. :)

 

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Yes, I took this with "Show us your bums" in mind. :)

 

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Great as the experience was, we were not totally unthankful when we reached the exit point. Really, really felt good "unspreading" our legs.

 

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Our little friend needes some refreshment.

 

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Elephants enjoying their off-time. :)

 

Though it would have been no problem to repeat the experience, we unanimously came to the conclusion that one was enough. We were happy with our Rhino sightings, and yes, the leg thing was probably a factor in that decision, too. So we couldn´t really say from experience if the 05:30 or the 06:30 time slot is better (I´ve read people saying that they love the mysterious mood of the early morning one), but for photography I´m quite convinced the latter is more suitable. Light conditions are difficult in Kaziranga at the best of times, so the more sun out the better I´d assume.

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@@michael-ibk. Are these "captured"elephants that are used for the walks? Did you manage to see where they lived and how they are treated... Loved the little one accompanying you.

 

We did an elephant walk on our first ever safari, but I was not comfortable and I also did not care for the fact the handlers carried some sort of stick. I prayed to myself they were not struck with it in order to keep them in formation. I was happy to leave.

I thought the Elies seemed sad and that distressed me. Although we had a feisty youngster with us as well!

 

Seeing the rhinos though must have been a thrill even if they looked like boulders within the tall grasses. Three of you on one else. A great way to get too know each other quickly!

 

And Gunslinger.... great nickname!

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Our guide Tarun stated that the light would not be significantly better for the later outing. But I think the haze from the fires altered conditions.

 

Even this shot, which was near the end of the hour elephant trip, shows skies that are still rather dull. It would be interesting to do both a 5:30 am and a 6:30 am outing to compare conditions.

 

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Those mother and baby rhino shots from our morning outing were a favorite of the whole trip for me. We had to act quickly to get those shots.

 

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Not only did we get close to the rhino on the elephant outing, but the shy hoofed creatures were more easily accessed, like this young male Eastern Barasinga or Swamp Deer.

 

These elephants are ridden like a horse with legs astride. I did feel the stretch and pull within my lower back. I believe it even affected my hearing as I developed a paper-crackling-sound in my ears for the first time in my life about 15 minutes into the ride. The crackling continued, but then stopped once I dismounted. The crackling has never returned. It's all connected in there, and in fact chiropractic started when a partially deaf patient was able to hear after an adjustment was made to his spine by Dr. Daniel David Palmer. So I think I experienced a reverse chiropractic adjustment on the elephant, that fortunately righted itself when I got off.

 

Where did you do your elephant safari @@graceland? We saw the elephants getting their baths in the afternoon. They seemed well cared for where we were, but elephants are used throughout Asia for many tasks, so treatment and training methods likely vary. Elephant safaris have ceased Central India's tiger parks. There are enough elephants in captivity that they don't need to capture wild ones.

Edited by Atravelynn
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This brings back some good memories, @@michael-ibk I'm very glad to see they now have some vehicles with forward facing seats in Kaziranga but are the seats raised at all? because with the old ones if you did try to look forwards the top of the cab was in the way blocking your view, even so it's a big improvement but if they'd just take the next step and get some bigger African style safari vehicles that would be even better still.

 

With all the doom and gloom about rhinos it is really quite amazing just how many you can spot from some of those towers and even on game drives you see plenty of them, it really is one of the great things about Kaziranga the number of different rhinos you can spot in a single day. I shall certainly follow the rest of your adventure with interest, I'm keen to learn more about the Hollonga Par Gibbon Sanctuary as that is somewhere that I've not been to and by the looks of it I should have gone there.

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@@inyathi, Regarding the seats in the Kaziranga vehicles and other Gypsies, they are not raised very high so you do see the cab, especially in the first row, but the openness of the vehicles helped. I really had not thought about the configuration as a problem until you mentioned it. I often stood up in the back row, once we were stopped, plus the back row was raised a little above the front row.

 

The Hollonga Par Gibbon Sanctuary, which will appear in detail on the 4th day of our Kaziranga visit, was a fantastic outing. It is about 2 hours drive east of Kaziranga toward Jorhat, which required a 5:30 am departure. Upon arrival we saw some Black Capped Langurs (not the Common Langurs seen all over) but never saw them again during our 2 hours of flat, fairly easy hiking, accompanied by a ranger. We ended up seeing 3 gibbon families of 3 (mother, father, juvenile).

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Black Capped Langur Young Hollonga Par Gibbon

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Adult Male Hollonga Par Gibbon Adult Female Hollonga Par Gibbon

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Mating gibbons, very unusual even for the rangers to see

Edited by Atravelynn
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Where did you do your elephant safari @graceland? We saw the elephants getting their baths in the afternoon. They seemed well cared for where we were, but elephants are used throughout Asia for many tasks, so treatment and training methods likely vary. Elephant safaris have ceased Central India's tiger parks. There are enough elephants in captivity that they don't need to capture wild ones.

 

@@Atravelynn

 

We were on our very first safari, 2007......started in Vic Falls so DH could bungee (@mid fifties to applause from the crowd- great form) and needed to fill some time, so our TA at the time (way before I found ST) booked an elephant walk through the river. We were staying at the time at a very popular place, The River Lodge, a colonial home owned by a character named Peter Jones on the Zambia side; at that time not many were over in ZIm..I believe Wilderness has taken over management; nevertheless DH (not one to hang out on a lawn) needed an activity so this was booked.. Not having a computer to research at the time I went along with most everything. I did hesitate at the elephant ride as I was worried it'd be a circus event. I do not remember the name of the group but it was a sanctuary. Afterwards I just felt badly for the poor things putting on a show for us. I just wanted to leave. It wasn't BAD,just not ME...pics being taken; photo opps; posing the elephants, having us feed them and sit in their curled trunks. I personally did not enjoy it. I do think it was a rehab group but at the time i was not aware....learn as I go! Probably quite bit different than "on safari" for rhinos as you!!

 

Continue on; I can't wait for more!

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Thanks for the rest of the story, @@graceland. The captive African elephants near Vic Falls are usually a different story, I believe, from most captive Indian elephants who have lived in captivity for generations. Also the African elephants are far less easy to train. Learn as you go is right. The Internet has changed so much about how we travel, where we choose to stay, etc.

 

After the elephant outing, the morning was still young. We left the Central region and traveled about 15 minutes back to Wild Grass for a quick breakfast and then drove about 20 minutes to the Western zone of the park.

First off, another rhino.

 

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Rhino in Western Kaziranga

 

Then a herd of several wild Water Buffalo in tall grass.

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Water Buffalo, Western Zone

Next,some reptilian action:

 

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Bengal Monitor in Western Zone, Kaziranga taking a sun bath

 

Also enjoying the warm rays,

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Burmese Python, Western Zone of Kaziranga

But there was more excitement around the bend.

 

It was the Black or Malayan Giant Squirrel, which Michael had been hoping to see. We were all glad to make his/her acquaintance and s/he stuck around quite awhile, posing for photos.

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One very obliging Malayan or Black Giant Squirrel, Western Kaziranga

And the morning was still young and the Western Zone had more in store for us.

Edited by Atravelynn
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michael-ibk


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Western is the best zone for Rhinos (It goes West - Central - Eastern, though we had good sightings in all zones), and indeed we would see plenty of them this morning. We had been in Kaziranga for not even one day, and already we had reached the point of only taking photos of "good rhino sightings". As mentioned by Lynn, they really are everywhere.

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Western Zone road.

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Asian Openbill, definitely more beautiful than its African cousin.

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Red-Breasted Parakeet

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Chestnut-Headed Bee-Eater

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Chestnut-Tailed Starling

The Buffaloes really can´t deny their relation to their African cousins:

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Wild Buffaloes are very rare now, because of inbreeding with the domestic ones it´s really hard to tell how many - if any - "pure" individuals remain. Kaziranga, however, is definitely one of the last strongholds of the wild ones, according to the last census (2008) almost 2000 are in the park. Anwaruddin Choudhury, the author of the "Kaziranga - Wildlife in Assam" (an informative book I bought while in Kaziranga) postulates that the hybridization danger is overrated. Domestic bulls have no chance of mating with wild cows, so the gene flow is only one way, he mantains.

We almost drove by the Python, even our extremely-hard-working and eagle-eyed guide Tarun who was always standing on the fender(!) to have a better view for us missed it. It was our driver who glimpsed it in the side mirror. Way to go, Bokul!


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Part of the Western zone (which is basically a loop) is forested, certainly very autumn-like in there:

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White-Rumped Shama


Just because I liked the Malayan Giant Squirrel so much one more picture - one of Lynn´s patented collages:

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michael-ibk

We left the forest, and here the burning was very obvious. Kind of a wasteland, but that´s only for a little while - soon elephant grass will cover everything again.

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See the Marabou-like bird back there? The reason Tarun´s passionate birding heart made a little jump, that´s a Greater Adjutant, a rare sight. Since Lesser Adjutants are quite common and they look pretty much alike we certainly wouldn´t have noticed. :)

 

The pinkish stuff around the neck says Greater Adjutant.

 

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While not as numerous as Hog Deer, we would see Swamp Deer quite regularly. This is the Eastern Barasinga ("twelve-tined") subspecies, and like its cousin in Kanha it´s very rare. Some 850 are in the park (according to the 2013 census), a small upward trend at least. They are all but gone everywhere else, only a second small population survives in Manas National Park. They share the Buffalo´s problem - habitat loss. Most of the suitable habitat in Assam is cleared, because of its high suitability for wet paddy cultivation, the main occupation for the people of Assam.

 

Another species with big problems:

 

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Our only Vulture photo of the whole trip (though we saw some soaring from time to time), a Slender-Billed Vulture. Because of Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug administered to cattle, which is fatal for the birds eating of the carcasses their numbers have crashed badly, over 90 %! It has even affected religious rites. The Zoroastrians, who gave their dead to the vultures on special towers now have to use solar lenses to help decompose the bodies since the birds no longer come.

 

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Crested Serpent Eagle, regularly seen.

 

Despite all problems, Kaziranga still is a huge conservation success story, especially for:

 

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This was probably our best Rhino sighting, mother and calf were totally relaxed and didn´t care about our presence, and we were alone with them for quite some time.

 

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The Indian Rhinoceros is still a very vulnerable species, with not many more than 3,000 still alive, the majority of that living in Kaziranga. There are eight other populations in India, in Orang, Pabitora, Manas and Laokhawa-Burachapori (Assam), Jaldapara and Gorumara (West Bengal), Valmiki (Bihar) and Dudhwa (Uttar Pradesh).

 

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The first census in Kaziranga, carried out in1966, counted 366 animals. The latest counted 2,401, an increase of more than 70 in the last two years.

 

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And it´s obvious that they are still well, because they are all over the place. Tarun thinks there are too many already, leading to bulls deaths in fights, and indeed several projects have tried to translocate them, partly successfully from what I´ve read.

 

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Unfortunately, poaching is on the rise in Kaziranga, losses are in double digits by now each year, with 27 in 2013, 19 in 2014 and 5 so far this year. (Some sources give different numbers, that´s what our guide said.) Indeed, there even was a poaching incident while we were there, a gunshot was heard in Eastern zone and so some of the track was off-limits.

 

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And it would be far too easy to poach Rhinos here. The park is so accessible, with the B37 being its Southern border, and the animals are too easy to find. When the floods come many of them vacate the park and go to the hills outside, even the tea gardens where they are an even easier target. But the efforts to battle poaching have increased as well, rangers have been better armed and in the last few years more and more poachers have been killed by officials, one just one week before our arrival. Still, critics maintain staff is underarmed and underfunded, and say the state does not even sufficiently use the funds it has available. And I shudder to think what would/will happen when Africa´s Rhinos are so scarce (soon now :-() Kaziranga´s easy to get little-horned ones will become an even more attractive target.

 

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Still, despite poaching getting worse, their numbers ARE increasing, so for the moment it doesn´t look all bad for this magnificent animal.

 

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Really, really a joy watching this baby. Let´s hope the little one lives a long and happy life in Kaziranga.

 

We left the park at 11:45, very happy too - Western zone really had delivered for us.

 

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michael-ibk

but are the seats raised at all? because with the old ones if you did try to look forwards the top of the cab was in the way blocking your view

They are when sitting in the front row. I often thought the sharp-edged rack of the car could easily and cleanly take off our heads in case of a full brake application, too. Then again, since reports of beheaded tourists in Kaziranga are few and far between I probably worried too much. ;)

 

But the view (to all directions) was fine when standing up, and we were pretty much standing up all time.

Edited by michael-ibk
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Alexander33

@ michael-ibk, @ Atravelynn and the lurker, I'm very much looking forward to this report. Great rhino sightings already. Pardon my ignorance, but their horns seem to be smaller than their African counterparts?

 

I really like the focus on the less "glamorous" creatures. Who knew that squirrels could be so interesting? The Malyan Giant Squirrel makes me a convert already.

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michael-ibk

@@Alexander33

 

Thanks, and yes, the horns are way smaller and thinner, especially with the females. Which is a blessing probably for the animals, bigger horns = "better harvest" for poachers :angry::(

 

Probably one reason why Assam still hasn´t turned into the killing fields of Africa.

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@@michael-ibk @@Atravelynn i've been looking forward to this ever since Michael put up the tiger teaser when he came home.

 

The armoured rhino reminds me of how I saw one so many years ago - in the Singapore zoo, and how I thought I would never ever see one in the wild because we were told at that time that they were almost wiped out. That could have been the Javan or Sumatran armoured rhino. So I've devoured every pix of the brilliant armoured rhino that you both have put up here. the baby is just adorable. i hope they stay safe for the rest of their lives too.

 

Love those pictures of the handsome male barasinga deer, the gibbons and the Malayan giant squirrel!

 

is the elephant ride the best way to see rhinos in the park? what are the advantages compared to a game drive? i assume the distance?

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Awesome.. I am gonna read the whole thing over and over till it's time for my next trip :D. Thank you for sharing

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Fantastic stuff! Love the nice open shots of Kaziranga with grazing Hog Deer herds. Liked the otter's cameo too, and nice photos of the python. The little Barasinga deer fawn too was sweet. But the rhino shots take the cake. Whilst you may not think they turned out perfectly, but I really like the ones of them in the tall elephant grass from elephant back, and the wallowing shots and ones of the baby are superb.
Very cool on the gibbons too, I never knew they were so far west in Asia, great shots!

Edited by Big_Dog
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@@michael-ibk.

great TR and pictures. i am amazed by the one where the gazelles are watching and the tiger is strolling by!!

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Great trip report so far.

 

I am another fan of the python and just wonderful pictures of the rhino.

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@@michael-ibk.

great TR and pictures. i am amazed by the one where the gazelles are watching and the tiger is strolling by!!

That was from Tadoba and it even made the facebook page of our guide Rajen!

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With all the doom and gloom about rhinos it is really quite amazing just how many you can spot from some of those towers and even on game drives you see plenty of them, it really is one of the great things about Kaziranga the number of different rhinos you can spot in a single day.

Our count for the 5 nights was well over 100. While we may have seen the same rhino more than once, that is still pretty good. Our last sightings were from the highway as we departed. We could see into the 4th Burrapaher Zone that was off-limits. As Michael stated, the #s are rising. What takes an even greater toll on the population than poaching is the seasonal floods where rhino calves are especially vulnerable. Despite the hardships of having to relocate their homes and families, the local people often help in rescuing animals threatened by the floods.

 

Here is an April 11 news article update on poaching in Kaziranga:

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150412/jsp/northeast/story_14096.jsp#.VT42x5P0frJ

Excerpts include:

 

"A day after a rhino was killed in Kaziranga National Park, security guards today struck back, killing two poachers. Eight rhinos have been killed in Kaziranga this year, including the female rhino killed in the Kohora range of the park yesterday."

 

Kohora is the Central Zone.

 

I really like the focus on the less "glamorous" creatures. Who knew that squirrels could be so interesting? The Malyan Giant Squirrel makes me a convert already.

We just loved this squirrel as well. Its habitat is confined to Northeast India, so it was a thrill see this uncommon creature. Even Tarun was excited. When I've mentioned seeing the Giant Squirrel to people back home, some envisioned Godzilla-like proportions. Not quite. The handy Indian Mammals A Field Guide by Vivek Menon that both Michael and I bought at the Nagpur airport states that the head and body are about 35 cm or 13.5 inches. The tail extends another 42 cm or 16.5 inches. So from head to toe, about 77 cm or 2.5 feet. For a squirrel, that is giant. The females are just slightly larger than the males.

 

Love those pictures of the handsome male barasinga deer, the gibbons and the Malayan giant squirrel!

 

is the elephant ride the best way to see rhinos in the park? what are the advantages compared to a game drive? i assume the distance?

Another squirrel fan. Tarun may have to start giving Squirrel Safaris! I think the drives offered the very best rhino viewing. The advantage of the eles is that you could get closer and it was a more intimate experience with the animals. We really enjoyed our one outing but when we discussed going again--which would have been very easy to do--the vote was 3/3 for a single elephant safari.

 

The downsides of the eles were:

-even though the mahuts and elephants were very good at maintaining a still posture, there still was slight movement, hindering photos.

-the angle is sharply downward, whereas in a vehicle the angle is less.

-as mentioned, the grass was often high.

-the time limit is an hour--our trip was about 1 hour and 15 minutes, imposing limits that are not present in a vehicle.

-so as not to stress the rhino, especially mothers and calves, viewing time near them was curtailed to a few minutes. Also there were 3-4 other elephants that needed to cycle through the rhino sightings.

-if you have back issues, this could trigger a problem, especially if you have shorter legs (like I do) because you have to straddle the ele, like a horse.

 

It seems I've just made a case for no elephant back rhino safari. But we all really liked that peaceful hour and a quarter to see rhinos and deer. The youngest rhino seen and photographed on the whole trip was from ele back. Also the youngest Barasinga and Hog Deer, I believe, were photographed from ele back.

 

Awesome.. I am gonna read the whole thing over and over till it's time for my next trip :D. Thank you for sharing

Next trip is to....

 

One more Wild Water Buffalo, or at least its horns:

 

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So our rhino count for this late-start outing to the Western region was 11.

Edited by Atravelynn
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michael-ibk

Just one point in favour of the elephant ride: Kaziranga has very weird opening times, the regular game drives only start at 07:30 in the morning, who knows why. So the elephants do mean extra time in the park.

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Just one point in favour of the elephant ride: Kaziranga has very weird opening times, the regular game drives only start at 07:30 in the morning, who knows why. So the elephants do mean extra time in the park.

A very good extra point!

 

I even took a photo documenting the park times. It was the same at every gate/zone.

 

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7:30 am was a late start time. The park stayed open throughout the day, so there was no required departure time midday. We were always gone by noonish. Then we returned to the various gates about 2:30-3:00 pm While the start time was strictly adhered to, the end time was more flexible. We usually stayed beyond the 5 pm closure, especially when we ended by viewing from the tower of the Central Zone, where we remained until even 6 pm. That tower was about 5 minutes drive from the gate.

 

Another hog deer for no good reason.

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Edited by Atravelynn
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One more thought on the elephant safari. Tarun encouraged us to not go on a Sunday, when he thought it would be busier. We went on a Saturday. If you do the elephant safari early in your Kaziranga visit, then you have enough time to fit in another elephant safari if you wish.

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I don't usually read reports about "other places" in case they look good, sicne then it is only going to lead to efforts to get there frustrated by time and trips to Africa. Better not to know until there is time first is how I tend to think nowadays.

 

However, I had to read this and it has not disappointed at all. Great photos and great information about somewhere I am not going to read any more about so as not to frustrate myself. Good news (relatively) about the rhinos - and the hog deer for that matter.

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@@Michael ibk ..what sounds did u hear in indian wilderness...was it different as compared to africa??..I am sure your morning was made awsome peacock sound..

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