JUNGLE DIARIES

Visited that place during December 2011 with famil...

2012-02-25T14:11:40.241+05:30

Visited that place during December 2011 with family, frustrated jungle safari covering 160 kms to and fro journey with zig-zaj muddy and dusty road, no sight of animals even at the core area of the forest, most of the forest habited by peoples and covered under various government welfare schemes, chances of seeing domesticated goat,cow,dog & buffalo inside the forest, don't stay at Toshali Jungle Resort (cheats in the name of hospitality) Tribal Hut and accommodation provided by them is worst in all respect, no electric backup, no TV, frequent load shedding, no proper service in comparison to the amount you pay, free meals are supplied in limited quantity(reach dining place a little late I promise you you will starve for the day), I advise visit other places instead of Similipal.

It was really nice to come across such a well desc...

2012-02-12T10:29:51.809+05:30

It was really nice to come across such a well described note around the wildlife in Orissa.

This fine morning i woke up with a thought of Bhanjanagar, I grew up there and opened the newspaper to find the so called brouhaha around human exhibit of tribals in orissa..

It just seems sad to me that the good things rarely come to front as did this google search result pointing to your blog talking about the black bucks..

AUSTRIA...guess who just dumped NAZIS...YEAH! Funn...

2012-02-10T10:57:30.159+05:30

AUSTRIA...guess who just dumped NAZIS...YEAH!
Funny thing happened on the way to that KIDDOMP...
TURNER- DEPP- MEESE...they dumoed the QUEEN!
YEAH!
One other thing...that SC company in SCULLS?
Guess who owns it?
YEAH!
THE QUEEN!

2011-12-12T11:53:57.621+05:30

This comment has been removed by the author.

You are a great soul. I was advised to Contact yo...

2011-12-12T11:53:10.652+05:30

You are a great soul.
I was advised to Contact you by a Gentlemen from Bangalore in a Camera show room near Majestic. Then after my second visit to Satlosia Forest zone I came across your name in Google.

Salute to your work n contribution for Environment. God bless you.

I am an Engineer & a wild life photographer (hobby). I wish to talk to you if it is possible.

Tk care

is there any croc alive .or that is just a paper w...

2011-10-19T15:05:33.998+05:30

is there any croc alive .or that is just a paper work.??????

It is :-(

2011-08-12T23:09:41.178+05:30

It is :-(

Very sad!

2011-08-12T10:06:19.112+05:30

Very sad!

i have been to simlipal once n like u mentioned we...

2011-06-12T20:38:27.432+05:30

i have been to simlipal once n like u mentioned we too had to be content with the waterfalls, meadows n livestock but not that i can complain.. this is after all, a fall out of the indifference shown by the civil society at large towards conservation.. i did visit chahalla n had a talk with the FRO therein.. listening to the stories of simlipal's deteriorating condition, the naxal attacks, the nexus between politicians, smugglers, poachers n villagers was disturbing.. u have raised some very valid points in ur blog.. most of the points u have put across is known to the government.. its only a matter of political will, which i see terribly lacking.. i really liked ur concern for the ground staff coz at the end of the day, its their well being that would decide the future of our forests.. kudos to u.. we all need to get united n work harder for the protection of our collective heritage..

Nice post about bhitarkanika tour.

This location is also one of my dream destination,...

2011-04-18T08:22:26.480+05:30

This location is also one of my dream destination, but two over night staying at there, indicates a lots of fun & pleasure,.....!!!

YOUR ARTICLE REGARDING BAISSIPALLI WILD LIFE SANCT...

2011-02-07T20:21:52.792+05:30

YOUR ARTICLE REGARDING BAISSIPALLI WILD LIFE SANCTUARY IS HIGHLY APPRECIATED BY ME. IT IS A GOOD ANSWER TO THE GOVT. . WE MUST LET WILD ANIMAL MOVE TO AND FRO WITHOUT ANY HINDRANCE. THEY ARE ALSO INDEPENDANT LIKE US. ONLY THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT WE HAVE VOICE TO RAISE BUT UNFORTUNATELY THEY HAVENOT. NOW ELEPHANTS IN OUR STATE HAVE BEEN DYING DUE TO POACHERS, DUE TO ELECTRIC WIRE RAPIDLY. IF THIS DEATH TOLL OF THE GIANT ELEPHANTS CONTINUES FURTHER , TWHERE THEN THE DAY IS NOT FAR OFF,ELEPHANTS WILL REMAIN IN PICTURES ONLY. FOR EXAMPLE , THE CURRENT SITUATION OF THE TIGER IS ALRAMING ALL THROUGH OUT THE WORLD. IN OUR STATES STILL POACHING IS CONTINUED RAMPANTLY EVERYWHERE .WE SHOULD STOP IT FOREVER TO SEE A BRIGHT FUTURE OF WILD ANIMALS OF ORISSA. THANKINK YOU.

Hi Aditya, Nice post and I am a fan of yours when ...

2011-01-04T21:30:36.744+05:30

Hi Aditya,
Nice post and I am a fan of yours when it comes to wild life.. My qsn is whether there is any tiger in the wild in Similipal.. I had been there and I find it too disturbed and patchy to have any Royal bengal tigers...Have you spotted any recently?

Dear Mr Rao, Thanks for your comment. I understa...

2010-11-22T14:35:31.355+05:30

Dear Mr Rao,

Thanks for your comment. I understand that the conservation lobby sometime appears to be ignorant of the human element, as you put it. But I think it is wrongly so. Places like Satkosia constitute less than 5% of India's landmass. Tiger Reserves and Elephant Reserves constitute even less-- barely 2%. I think it is fair enough that we expect at least this much to be reserved purely for the purpose of wilderness conservation. I think that a nation that cannot derive its resources or accommodate its people in 95-98% of its landmass has no right to function.

Regards,
Aditya

Been to many tiger reserves in India and never spo...

2010-10-16T03:47:33.407+05:30

Been to many tiger reserves in India and never spotted a tiger except Bandhavgarh. I had been to Similipal twice with no sign of wild life. Hats off to you for this article and the seven days you spent there. This tells about the fact and trust me I was under the impression that Similipal is another Sariska..Thanks to you that I know now there are still couple of tigers left.
What you are doing is a great job. keep it up.

2010-10-12T19:50:00.558+05:30

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

A very well written appeal for the elephant.Why is...

2010-09-12T04:59:39.222+05:30

A very well written appeal for the elephant.Why is the dam being constructed ? evidently to provide some human settlement with some water.I am sure you will be able to provide an alternative to the dam to meet the human needs;please explore and suggest an alternative;the problem with conservation lobby is that they ignore the human element while expressing compassion for animals;this happens as most conservationists live in cities far away from the scene of action.

VERY FINE. BEFORE 1.5 YEAR, I VISITED SATKOSHIA SA...

2010-07-23T18:29:44.072+05:30

VERY FINE. BEFORE 1.5 YEAR, I VISITED SATKOSHIA SANCTUARY(THEN NOT DECLARED AS TIGER RESERVE)BY WALKING. IT IS UNFORGETTABLE. HERE IS SOME PHOTOGRAPH(YOU GIVEN) IS VERY NICE AND SOME OF THE PLACES I VISITED.
CONTACT ME: sabyasachiirath@gmail.com

Would like to visit Tadoba soon and see and hear a...

2010-06-27T08:31:16.866+05:30

Would like to visit Tadoba soon and see and hear all this and more.

Great Article.

2010-05-22T11:34:50.684+05:30

Great Article.

Oh come on... it would be thoroughly unfair to cre...

2010-03-16T00:51:31.474+05:30

Oh come on... it would be thoroughly unfair to credit myself on this! Even in a "small measure".

Btw, what's your real name?

A certain Mr.Panda ;) You shouldn't discount...

2010-03-15T23:42:10.873+05:30

A certain Mr.Panda ;)

You shouldn't discount your own contribution, my friend.

@Corto: Sorry, space and other constraints might m...

2010-03-15T16:19:35.370+05:30

@Corto: Sorry, space and other constraints might make me forget/omit the mention of a few names... Please mention any names that I may have forgotten.

Regards,
Aditya

You forget to mention one more person who has been...

2010-03-14T23:15:43.666+05:30

You forget to mention one more person who has been instrumental in making this happen, in no matter how small but significant measure.

@Appu: Thanks for appreciating. Campaigns, maratho...

2010-03-01T21:44:01.835+05:30

@Appu: Thanks for appreciating. Campaigns, marathons, etc. are fine to help raise awareness. Sustained campaign does keep reminding the general public that there is a problem and helps rally public support.

If you ask me, personally, there are more effective ways of spending resources for conservation than super-expensive media campaigns. A well known mobile telecom provider, for example has started a huge campaign, which is good. At least its better than nothing.

But, we need to understand two things- (a.) Who is the campaign aimed at? Someone in a big city, would, seeing such a campaign, just nod his/her head in dissatisfaction over the fate of the tiger. S/he wont/can't do much more... But, consider spending the same amount of money on campaigning and getting families living on fringes of tiger reserves to reduce their exploitation of the forest, or, to convince people still living inside tiger reserves to move out? That, I think would have a far more real effect.

(b.) How many of us think about India's real conservationists- the guys who go out on foot everyday, in the face of life risks from armed poachers, maoists, etc., armed with little more than a stick for self protection. They live away from their families, for months together, often without pay, with little or no access to the outside world- no cellphones, no internet, no newspapers, no tv and very limited company- most of the time the antagonistic kind from local villagers. I'm talking about India's front-line wildlife conservationists- our forest guards. We must accept that tiger conservation ultimately happens at the beat level. That is where it begins and ends, and this is what we should first concentrate on strengthening. No amount of talk, science, rallying, campaigning, etc. is of any use if we ignore this very basic aspect of tiger conservation in India. I would really appreciate it if corporates, with the kind of spending power like the telecom company in question, could better use their money to provide India's forest guards with life's basic requirements, if not the honour and respect that the protectors of a nation's very life support systems deserve. Something as basic as a van in a tiger reserve doing two rounds a week, touching every beat house, providing basics like a newspaper, magazines, rations, etc. can go a very long way in motivating our guards to do their job sincerely. And I'm not even talking about schools, accommodation and hospitals for their families, insurance cover and other such benefits, which are usually accorded generously to our other frontline services- like the defence services... Its high time we recognise the important of the service which protects the sources of our air, water and climate control- in our case, the Indian Forest Service. We really need to give it more respect, give it a desperately needed revival.