Pangtastic India… Dan Free remembers getting antsy in India as if it were yesterday…
D
uring our four days in Kanha National Park we’d enjoyed one of those rare purple patches, where our every request seemed to be answered with a sighting, enjoying fantastic views of tiger, sloth bear, dhole and even a fleeting glimpse of a leopard. Exhausting the list of possible mammals, we’d challenged our guide to find a pangolin – which proved to be a request too far in this instance. On arrival at our lodge in Bandhavgarh National Park we were introduced to our new guide, who set about quizzing us on what we’d already seen and what we still hoped to see. As we reeled off the list of species we’d enjoyed in the previous days, the poor chap became ever more despondent. When we jokingly mentioned pangolin, he practically broke down in tears, explaining almost apologetically that he hadn’t seen one in over four years and – even then – that had been at night.
biggest grin I’ve ever seen. Over the next few hours we were able to observe the cubs as first they played, and then, growing tired, nestled up next to the pangolin and fell asleep. With the exception of being in the presence of four tigers, the heavily-armoured pangolin was otherwise unhurt, and on the rare occasion when it was left unattended, it would slowly unfurl and start creeping to safety. At first, its attempts at escape were thwarted by the young tigers, but as time passed, they lost interest and eventually the pangolin slipped away to the safety of a burrow. It was undoubtedly one of the luckiest sightings I have ever had and, even though it was over ten years ago, I can still recall the shocked expression of our guide as if it was only yesterday! Tiger Tiger
Venturing into the park the following morning we soon picked up the tracks of a tigress and her three adolescent cubs, locating the young family in a small clearing a short distance on. As we approached, we could see the cubs darting around frantically, rolling what appeared to be a rock between them. Only it wasn’t a rock at all, but the tightly rolled-up form of a pangolin. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing, and neither could our guide. He turned and stared at us, completely speechless, before shaking his head and breaking into the
Our most popular trip in the subcontinent visits India’s finest national parks to see tigers at little-known Pench, famed Kanha, and classic Bandhavgarh, culminating in a visit to the majestic Taj Mahal. Trip idea, Oct-Apr 16 days, from £3,695
Images by Dani Free
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