 |
| " Jawai Manohar Vilas " Resort in Sena Village of Jawai Bandh. |
Having never spotted a leopard in the natural wild forests of India made up my mind to join a tour group on a leopard safari of Jawai Bandh- Beda forests in Pali district of Rajasthan which has the highest density of leopards/ capita area.Through "Facebook" came across a advertisement for a 3 day leopard safari trip to Jawai Bandh conducted by " WildAGram" tours beginning with a train journey on Monday 15 July from Mumbai and back to Mumbai on Thursday 18 July by train after completion of the "Leopard Safari" .On contacting tour proprietor Mr Abhishek.Sen on Wednesday 26 June was told the cost of the tour was Rs 18,900 with a advance deposit of Rs 11,000 and the rest to be paid on joining the tour group.Booked the " 2nd class Sleeper" train fare through " WildAGram" and finally after payment of Rs 11,000 got my booking confirmed. Heavy July rainfall was playing transportation havoc in Mumbai city and I had taken a big gamble travelling by train from Mumbai during peak Monsoon rains.
 |
| Lush green cultivated countryside as viewed from the train. |
Monday(15/7/2024) Departure Mumbai :- It was raining incessantly for the last three days resulting in flooding and cancellation or diversion of flights as well as trains.The weather God's seemed to favour Monday and to my relief besides a heavy shower in the morning the rest of the evening was a dry rainless day.Left my house in Old Prabhadevi road at 1745 hrs for boarding the 2100 hrs "14702/ Aravali Express" train from Bandra Terminus Station.Stepping out of our building came across " Mango" our stray building resident cat seated on top of a car, a miniature leopard and i greeted him as usual and hoped it was a good omen for the start of my " Jawai Leopard Safari ".
 |
| A dip in the tiny pool of " Jawai Manohar Vilas " Resort in Sena village of Jawai.A hill of the Aravali mountain range is the backdoor natural boundary wall of this Exotic Farmhouse Style resort. |
First time in my life akin to departure to the airport left home three hours in advance as I didn't want to get stuck in rain flooded traffic jam and hoped to arrive at least 2 hrs before departure at Bandra Terminus Station( BDTS).Boarded the bus at Prabhadevi and after a long drive in congested traffic alighted at Bandra Station( West). After crossing the Bandra station overbridge onto Bandra ( East) boarded a shared auto-rickshaw packed with 5 of us passengers at a cost of Rs 20/ passenger.Travel is one of the cheapest in India , especially public or shared cabs/ auto-rickshaws.It was a short drive and finally alighted at Bandra Terminus ( BDTS) absolutely dry ,a unbelievable dry day where even the weather forecast had predicted continuation of heavy rains and had advised people to stay indoors.Truth is stranger than fiction. "14702/ Aravali Express " was parked on platform No 1.Later proprietor of " WildAGram" Mr Abhishek.Sen arrived and total strangers became tour friends.At 2030 hrs boarded compartment " S3 Berth 52" utterly astonished at the weather being absolutely dry akin to summer.Departure was prompt at 2100 hrs and finally was happy to be on my way to Jawai Bandh, the compartment housefull as are all train routes in India.Tuesday(16/7/2024) Arrival Jawai Bandh in Rajasthan :- I had not slept the entire night on Sunday ,glued to T.V watching the European cup " Spain v/ s England " finals.Hence had a decent 3 hrs sleep on the train.Early morning, peeping out of the train door got a beautiful view of the Gujarat Countryside lush green with Monsoon rain.
 |
| A Rabri Tribal with his cattle.The Rabari tribe, with their colourful clothing and unique customs are unique to the semi desert landscape of Jawai.The women adorn themselves in embroidered garments and intricate silver jewellery with some women wearing plastic bangles covering their entire arm up to their elbow.Indescribably beautiful fashion.The men, donning red turbans as is this shepherd herder in this photo exude a sense of pride and dignity and the axe he is carrying on his shoulder is for clearing the thorn bushes and not as a protection against the wild resident leopards of Jawai. The Rabaris are semi-nomadic herders, tending to their dromedaries and sheep as they traverse the lands in search of pasture and in Jawai they are the protectors of the resident leopard population living in the cave crevices of the Aravali mountain range in Jawai. Jawai is situated in Pali district of Rajasthan on the Jawai river. |
At " Abu Road" Station in the State of Rajasthan got to taste the unique sweet of " Rabdi" at the railway station platform stall.
 |
| View of Aravali mountain range hills in Jawai from the top of granite "Amrit Hill" which we ascended by our jeep and not trekking. Extreme adventure driving by all the "Leopard Safari" tourist jeep drivers.The Aravalli Range is the mountain range in Northern-Western India, running approximately 670 km (420 miles) in a south-west direction. The Aravali mountain range starts near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana, Rajasthan, and ending in Ahmedabad in Gujarat.The highest peak is Guru Shikhar on Mount Abu in Rajasthan at 1,722 m (5,650 ft). The Aravalli Range is one of the oldest geological features on Earth, having its origin in the Proterozoic era.In Jawai situated in Pali district of Rajasthan the Aravali mountain range have deep crevices and caves within their granite hill rocks which is home to approximately 50 to 60 leopards. |
Excellent cloudy weather with no rains but cool and pleasant atmosphere.Normally in summer this route of travel is uncomfortable and torturous in 2nd class sleeper with A/ C sleeper compartment travel being mandatory as it gets too hot, a desert type climate.Reached Jawai Bandh station 1/2 hr late at 1040 hrs.Jawai Town has numerous small villages in its vicinity with some of the prominent being Khokhar ,Bera,Kakuni and Ghanerao.Jawai is also home to a few ancient Hindu temples. Our destination for "LEOPARD SAFARI" was "Sena Village" in Jawai.
 |
| Lunch at " Jawai Manohar Vilas " resort in Jawai. Mrs Rupali.Hiremath,Master Shikar and Saarth Hiremath. Mr Rudolph .Furtado and Tour conductor/Proprietor of "WildAGram" tours Mr Abhishek.Sen. Excellent ambiance with a tub swimming pool next to the open air dining hall and Aravali hill behind this cute farmhouse style resort. |
We were a total of 4 tourist only, the smallest "Group tour" i have been with during countless treks and jungle safari's. ,Proprietor and tour conductor Mr Abhishek.Sen, Mrs Rupali.Hiremath and her two young school going twin sons Shikar and Saarth.Hiremath. The taxi drove us from the station and got a first glimpse of the Aravali hills.There was a lot of greenery among the rocks due to the intermittent monsoon rainfall.We drove through the villages finally passing through a large archway entrance called Jewda gate .From Jewda gate it was a rough drive through village roads and finally onto Sena village and destination " Jawai Manohar Vilas " resort.Mr Abhishek and myself were allotted one room while Mrs Rupali and her 2 kids another room.Awesome local resort,totally isolated from normal civilization except for " Reliance Jio Network" internet services ,the lifeline of communication and a granite Aravali hill facing the resort. There was a possibility of nomad resident leopards passing through this giant hill on whose peak was the "Nag Mandir(Snake Temple)". There was a small tub like swimming pool in which we had a dip and just relaxed.
A mongoose and a monitor lizard was sighted on the granite hill rock facing our open air dining hall and swimming pool.
 |
| This "Maruti Gypsy RJ57TA0093" was our safari vehicle over 3 day's beginning on Tuesday evening and ending on Thursday morning.We did a total of 4 safari drives across Jawai ,one in the morning and the other in the evening. Photo :- Driver /Guide Shri Praveen.Singh, Tour conductor /Proprietor of "WildAGram" Mr Abhishek.Sen is seated next to driver with his telephoto zoom lens and whose classic "Leopard" photos i have captioned in this safari travelogue.On second row is your's truly Mr Rudolph.Furtado and seated next to me is Master Shikhar.Hiremath.On the last row is Master Saarth .Hiremath with binoculars and their mother Mrs Rupali.Hiremath. Thanks to assistant guide /Resort Caretaker Shri Bagaram for clicking this postercard photo for the memory bank. |
Lunch was local Rajasthani vegetarian food, excellent even for a hard core non-Vegetarian .
 |
| Sighting of the handsome Alpha male leopard sitting on the ledge of the granite rock hill. Tourist jeeps converging at the look- out site and Mr Abhishek.Sen taking pictures with his telephoto camera. |
After lunch explored the vicinity of the palatial resort with the Natural Aravali hill giving it a iconic landmark appearance. Tea was at 1600 hrs and after tea we got ready for our first Jungle safari exploration .At 1715 hrs a total of 7 of us boarded the open air " Maruti Gypsy" van ,which included driver Shri Praveen.Singh and his assistant tracker guide Shri Bagaram who was also the care-taker of the resort .It was a total " Off Road" driving through the thorn scrub bush pathways along the boundaries of the granite Aravali hills which is the residence of the leopards of Jawai.Came across numerous peacocks akin to chickens ,a few Nilgai's(Blue Bulls) and also a majestic lone wild boar. Failed to spot a single leopard among the crevices or ledges high up on the hills.Was amazed at the daredevil driving skills of Praveen. Singh as also of the other tourist jeep drivers.He drove up the granite hills and Jungle pathways akin to a specialist dirt bike motorcyclist.
 |
| Nilgai ,definitely a difficult species to hunt for the leopard |
Looked like we would be returning back to the resort without sighting a leopard when to our good luck light shone at the end of the granite Aravali rock mountain in Jeewada locale of Jawai. At approximately 1845 hrs the main Alpha male resident leopard appeared on the ledge of a cave high above on the hill of the Aravali mountain range .With binoculars admired his confidence of sitting over the edge of the hill ledge lording over his subjects which were us , human tourists.Numerous jeeps arrived at the spot and for the first time I saw a leopard in it's natural wild environment in the jungle's of India having seen my only wild leopard recently in 2022 in "Chobe National Park" in distant Botswana in Africa .Finally after satisfying our tourist observation of this beautiful leopard we headed back towards the resort.On the way approaching Sena village stopped at another Aravali rock hill where two leopards were visible but at 1930 hrs due to poor visibility I couldn't sight them with my binoculars.Finally drove back to the resort and excellent Rajasthani desi chicken curry dinner was washed down with a beer. Wednesday(17/7/2024) Jawai Manohar Vilas :- The A/ C and fan was problematic at night due to Voltage fluctuation and did manage to get a few hours sleep.Our agenda for the morning was a " Leopard Safari" at 0500 hrs but it started raining heavily along with lightning and thunder. Mumbai monsoon stalking us in distant semi-arid desert region of Jawai in Rajasthan ? Rain is necessary especially in the semi-arid desert region of Jawai.Fact was we were on a "Leopard Safari" in the wrong month of the year and i was thankful for sighting that lone Alpha male leopard yesterday evening.
Our safari got delayed and at 0600 hrs left our resort in the open air jeep with ace driver Shri Praveen .Singh at the wheel and cook cum caretaker Shri Bagaram as his assistant guide.
 |
| Sunrise in Jawai after a rain drenched early morning. Lush green carpet of green spear grass in Monsoon season. Numerous Euphorbia Caducifolia shrubs which are of the Cactus family dominate the granite hill topography. The Keekar shrub forms the mini forests between the granite hills. |
 |
| View of "JAWAI BANDH(DAM)".Jawai Bandh is built across the Jawai River, a tributary of Luni River, in Rajasthan.The dam was built by Maharaja Umaid Singh of Jodhpur and completed in 1957.This dam covers an area of 13 km2 and is the biggest man made dam in Western Rajasthan.It is the main water supply source for Pali district. If there is sufficient water in the dam, then some villages of Jalore district and Pali district get water for irrigation from the Jawai Dam, which was the main aim in making this dam. With great difficulty we managed to drive to this location in thick slush and soft mud.Jowar cultivation was the main crop in a few fields.The Monsoon season had just begun and by September this entire firm ground through which our jeep drove would be submerged with water if it was a good monsoon season. |
Our last visit of the morning was to " Jawai Dam" which didn't have a road and thanks to Shri Praveen.Singh's exceptional driving skills managed to reach within 50 meters from the banks of the dam waters.
 |
| Jawai region has only Langur breed of monkeys in its forests. Here Langurs from the Aravali hill behind our resort are scavenging on leftovers food in the garbage bin. Strangely didn't observe any stray cats or dogs in Sena village of Jawai and the reason is obvious, leopards. Leopards favourite and easy prey are cat's and dogs. |
Spotted a few submerged crocodile's in a shallow section of the dried up dam waters."Jawai Bandh(Dam)" having approximately 300 crocodiles is the first crocodile and only sanctuary to be set up in the State of Rajasthan.Spotted two rare Ruddy shelducks , Ibis, Storks,flamingo's and a few other aquatic birds.During winter season this "Jawai Dam" locale is a bird watcher's paradise for migratory birds.The Dam waters were at its lowest with the fields being cultivated with Jowar crops.At the end of the Monsoon season in September if the rainfall was excellent then at times the entire lowland area on which we had driven our jeep got submerged with Dam Water which almost reached the vicinity of Jawai Manohar Vilas resort.Unbelievable but as true as the " Leopards of Jawai" that thrive and reside peacefully within the presence of human dwellings and hordes of tourist vehicles and resorts.We finally reached our resort at 0900 hrs and after getting refreshed had a lavish breakfast of excellent Rajasthani Parathas .Extreme Monsoon weather with heavy rainfall early morning and blistering hot Sun in the morning hours,a semi-desert climatic condition.Caretaker/ Cook Shri Bagaram had the mechanic attend to the malfunctioning A/ C and the room temperatures were back to normal.
 |
| A temple on a hill in Jawai.Almostr all the hills have a temple. These granite rock cave hills are ideal hideouts for leopards and both humans and leopards have been co-existing peacefully Also there is no poaching of prey animals as well as leopards in Jawai. Truth is stranger than fiction. |
Monsoon season had definitely arrived in Jawai region of the Aravali hills and suddenly at 1300 hrs in the afternoon from bright hot sunshine there was again a heavy downpour of rain with thunder which would definitely affect our wildlife sightings.As a "Solo Traveller" i do thorough "TRAVEL RESEACH" akin to a geography scholar of the places i visit and same applied to Jawai-Bera in Pali district of Rajasthan. None of the travel brochures or personal blogs or reviews mentioned July as a good month for leopard sightings and yet i took the gamble to visit Jawai for the simple reason that i have a everlasting love affair with nature and forests. Even if we didn't sight a leopard during our entire tour of safari drives would be happy being in the midst of nature and a different environment. Ahoy !
 |
| View of Aravali hill from terrace of "Jawai Manohar Vilas". As it had rained heavily a hour ago there was formation of a waterfall along the granite face of the hill. On top of this hill id "Nag Devi Temple". Almost all these Aravali hills in Jawai have temples on their summit. |
That we had sighted our first leopard on our very first safari which was a picture postcard view meant my safari gamble had paid dividends.No regrets. Bizarrely the rain stopped abruptly at 1330 hrs creating a tiny stream of waterfalls against the mountainside behind our resort. At 1315 hrs lunch was excellent " Chicken curry/ Vegetables" at the open air dining table next to the swimming pool with the landmark Aravali hill looming in the background .Was happy on the unpredictable weather again changing from heavy rainfall to bright sunshine.Among bird's observed the abundance of Bulbuls in the vicinity of the resort as also wild doves.Numerous very friendly squirrels came within handshaking distance and spotted the occasional mongoose residing in the rock cave hill behind the resort.Throughout the day there was the continuous meowing of peacocks and cooing of wild doves in Jawai. Went up to the terrace of our bungalow style resort and scouted the hill crevices with my binoculars for leopard or mongoose sightings but besides the multitude of langurs could not spot any rare wildlife on this towering hill.
 |
| Lucky sighting of a pair of leopards scavenging on a rotting cattle carcass on Wednesday during the evening safari drive.The smell was so horrific that at a distance of almost 50 meters across the ravine we got suffocated due to the stench. We were on our way back home to the resort, a entire day spent driving endlessly across the length and breadth of Jawai when at 2010 hrs in the dark night we accidentally stumbled on this unbelievable sight.This photograph was clicked under torch lights by Mr Abhishek.Sen. |
 |
| Jungle traffic jam in Jawai on a "Leopard Night Safari". At 2010 hrs in total darkness under torchlights spotted the leopards scavenging on a carcass. |
Later spotted a Rabari shepherd herding his goats down this hill and the goats had to be sure footed akin to mountain goats while descending down the steep granite rock.During the monsoon season there is a lush growth of vegetation on top of this hill and hence the shepherd took his flock for grazing and was now returning back to the plains.After tea at 1700 hrs went on our evening safari ride.The weather was cloudy and we hoped to spot a leopard.As usual the same routine of unbelievable off- road driving by Shri Praveen.Singh as well as all the other tourist jeep drivers who followed the same particular "LEOPARD SIGHTING"convoy route in Jawai. With the help of smartphones a tourist jeep driver on spotting a leopard immediately informed other jeep drivers of the location and soon the locale would get crowded with tourist jeeps vying for a vantage position. Absolutely identical to the "Tiger Safari's" in tiger national parks across India.If it had not rained in the morning Mr Abhishek.Sen wanted to take us to Bera which was 25 Kms from Jawai with identical topography and leopard sightings for this afternoon safari .We searched across the entire vicinity of Jawai but could not sight a leopard.
 |
| Rock Eagle Owl . Photo :- Abhishek.Sen. |
Spotted a small herd of Nilgai and a lone " Rock Eagle owl" but no sign of a leopard.It was the Muslim public holiday of Muharram and hence a pack load of Gypsy jeeps on the look- out for a leopard.We went up the Sujani hill of Jawai ,absolute almost vertical inclined driving but couldn't sight the elusive leopard.Evening turned to twilight and did spot a hare in the forest .Came across the ultra plush " Sujan Jawai" resort and seems " LEOPARD TOURISM" has converted the tiny villages of Jawai into a well organized tourist hub.Bollywood celebrities have resided in this resort whose rental rates for a night was over Rs one lakh and was voted the 43rd among the 50 best hotel's in the World in 2024. Wonder when the Ambani family who normally visit Africa for safari's would go for a leopard safari in Jawai as there is accomodation suitable for the wealthiest Asian.Twilight turned into darkness and now all the jeep tourists were shining their powerful torchlight on the granite mountain rocks hoping to sight a leopard in the dark.For the first time in my lifetime of Safari expeditions in India and foreign country's came across "Night Safari".The langur's suddenly began their alarm calls which told us that a predator was in the vicinity but flashlights just couldn't spot the most elusive of "Big Cats". As a teenager having shot bird's with my air-gun in the 1970's was in awe of wild-life books especially Jim Corbett's tales on his encounters with various "Maneaters".
 |
| Peacock trying to seduce this peahen with its "PEACOCK DANCE". A rare sight in the jungle although peacock's are numerous in forests and farmland's across most states in India. The National bird of India. Photo :- Mr Abhishek.Sen. |
Thanks to ordinary and later Life-Membership of "B.N.H.S( Bombay Natural History Society)" that i got to read a wealth of wildlife books from its library as also got to understand the forests and nature while on treks and forest stays with "B.N.H.S" group tours becoming a conservationist.My favourite wildlife books are "Man-Eaters of Kumaon" by Jim Corbett and "Man Eaters of Tsavo" by John Henry Patterson.Among Jim.Corbett's tracking and killing of "Man-Eaters" his most difficult and famous was the "Man Eating leopard of Rudraprayag", a leopardess and not a tiger that claimed over 125 human victims.Leopards have survived in the vicinity and even in the midst of human population because of their stealth and ability to blend with a environment having least forest cover.
 |
| The ultimate Monsoon month leopard sighting at 0510 hrs in the morning of Thursday.We spotted this brother/sister pair lying down on the forest pathway just 50 meters from our jeep. This was the same pair that feasted on the dead cattle carcass at night on Wednesday. :- Photo Mr Abhishek.Sen |
 |
| Picture Post card photo of the pair with face away from the camera :- Photo Mr Abhishek.Sen. |
 |
| Our 4th and last early morning "Leopard Safari " at 0500 hrs on Thursday when we came across this pair of leopards. Unbelievable Luck in a Monsoon month when sighting leopards is rare . |
Finally at approximately 2030 hrs in pitch darkness we decided to head back to the resort when we came across a group of tourist jeeps lined across a granite hill shining torches on the face of the granite cliff.To our utter surprise spotted a large leopard sitting on the Rock hillside ledge staring at us akin to a guard dog guarding a gate or a house.Later the leopard shifted it's location and suddenly we got the strong whiff of rotting carcass.The leopard was in the process of eating a dead rotting carcass and was trying to shift it from its location near the edge of the hill.A awesome sight seen for the first time in.my life under torchlight.When we left the location the leopard had walked away from the carcass into the thick bushes of the hill and hence out of torchlight viewing.This was a true night safari and luck had favoured us.Finally at 2045 hrs we reached our resort absolutely contended of the unexpected surprise when we tourists had given up hopes of spotting the elusive leopard due to intermittent rainfall. Dinner was Rajasthani speciality " Dal/ Bhati/ Churma" , a vegetarian dish I had tasted for the first time in my life.Mrs Rupali .Hiremath was the guide in giving the resort kitchen department our menu for the day and the food was just delicious.Discussed our unbelievable sighting while sipping beer and savouring our dinner in the compound of the resort that was housefull with tourists.
 |
| Postcard photo of one of the leopards jumping onto a ledge on the steep granite rock Aravali hill.The Langurs seated on top of this cliff have a ringside view of the movement of this pair of leopards warning each other with their calls.Photo :- Mr Abhishek.Sen |
Thursday(18/7/2024):- Had a decent nights sleep with the A/ C providing excellent comfort.At 0400 hrs got dressed for the early morning safari.After a quick cup of tea at 0500 hrs we got into our routine familiar " RJ57TA0093" Maruti Gypsy for the last safari of our " Jawai Leopard Safari" tour.Driver/ Tour guide Shri Praveen.Singh along with his assistant Shri Bagaram got into the jeep and we 5 tourists took our respective seats .First time I was doing a early morning jeep safari with torch searchlights and to our unbelievable luck just on exiting our locale and driving across Sena village Shri Bhagaram spotted a leopard in the dark.Driver Shri Praveen.Singh stopped the vehicle and as usual with his torchlight scanned the locale and to our amazement spotted a male and female leopard lying on the ground next to each other just 50 meters away from us.Unlike leopards in tiger reserves of India the leopards of Jawai are accustomed to humans and jeep vehicles and do not panic instantly on sighting tourist jeeps or human presence.Watching this pair of leopards resting next to each other surprized me and they resembled a pair of cheetah's shown in "National Geographic" documentaries or plush wild life magazines.Thanks to Mr Abhishek.Sen that we got brilliant photo's of this pair of leopards.
We were the only tourists at 0515 hrs in the dark of the morning and it was a indescribable feeling watching this pair of male and female leopard's in close proximity in the natural wild forest and not a zoological park.
 |
| Almost all the granite hillocks of the Aravali mountain range in Jawai have temples at the summit of the hill. |
Mr Abhishek.Sen was busy clicking photo's with his zoom lens camera while I was studying this pair of leopard's with my binoculars.The leopard's kept on shifting their location while we tracked them on the jeep.The langur's were busy giving warning calls akin to croaking frogs and in the dark of the early morning the sound of langur and cooing of peacocks along with the leopards hiding in the bushes was a experience of a lifetime.One of the leopard's panicked and ran across the road crossing our jeep and it was definitely " Good Luck" to our unbelievable sighting of a "BIG CAT" from close range.Ahoy ! Later another tourist jeep came alongside and the pair of leopards vanished onto the granite Aravali hill.Got some excellent views as one of the leopards climbed up the hill with a large troop of langur's watching from above on a higher elevation of the hill.
 |
| The semi desert region of Jawai becomes a green carpet of grass during the rainy season.Came across this lone uprooted tree against the backdrop of the Aravali mountain range that passes through Jawai in Rajasthan and the home of the famous "Leopards of Jawai".Between October to March which is the "Dry Season" in Jawai the topography would be absolutely different to this "Monsoon Topography".October-March is the best time to visit Jawai for "LEOPARD SAFARI' if only interested in leopard sightings. "MONSOON SEASON" is to visit Jawai for experiencing the wonders of nature and different seasons in a semi-desert region of India.We were very lucky to spot 3 different leopards in 3 different parts of the forest as also experiencing "Leopard Safari" under torchlights.Very different to "Tiger Safari's" in India. |
 |
| A Rabari villager on his bullock cart transport. Rain season occupation of green grass shrubs collection .Photo:- Mrs Rupali .Hiremath |
Finally once the leopard's disappeared out of sight we began our onward jeep travel journey.We drove to " Black Hill"our normal route and as usual Mr Praveen.Singh drove up the steep inclined hill.The view from the hill was awesome on a bright clear morning.Didnt spot any leopard among the crevices or ledges.From" Black Hill" we drove down the steep inclined hill to ground level and further onto the narrow village road.At " Pug Mark " resort indicator we took the right turn and headed towards " Jawai Dam". We drove up the inclined " Amrit Hill" to scan the crevices in the neighbouring hills for leopard sightings but sighted none.Our final destination was " Gholwad hill" another steep climb and descent.Finally at 0900 hrs was back at the resort.Breakfast at 0930 hrs was " Pohwa", Soji" and fried egg .Relaxed in the room and after a vegetarian lunch finally left the resort at 1415 hrs by private car.During the half an hour car drive noticed numerous stray dogs nearing " Jawai Dham" station proving that the lack or total absence of stray dogs in Sena village and its near surroundings was due to the high density of leopards in the numerous granite Aravali hills.We reached " Jawai Dham " railway station at 1445 hrs and at the station total strangers who became acquaintances finally parted ways.
 |
| End of a unbelievable successful "MONSOON LEOPARD SAFARI" in Jawai of Rajasthan. L- R :- Rudolph.Furtado, Shikhar.Hiremath, Mrs Rupali.Hiremath , Driver Shri Praveen.Singh(Cap) "WildAGram" proprietor Mr Abhishek.Sen and Saarth.Hiremath Although total strangers when we met at "Jawai Bandh" railway station by the end of the tour seemed like we all knew each other for ages !Thanks to "Leopard Safari Formula 1" driver Shri Praveen.Singh that we were driven around Jawai villages akin to driving on the narrow streets of Monaco in the "Monte Carlo Grand Prix". Most important "Lady Luck" and the Weather Gods favoured us for if it had rained daily our entire 4-safari trips in 3 day's would have been a wash-out as the leopards would have remained hidden in their cave dens to avoid the wet weather.Simple logic. In fact during monsoon season almost all National parks in India are closed or entry is restricted to only certain sections of the National park."Jawai -Bera Leopard Safari"in Rajasthan is open throughout the year and we could have been one of the few luckiest tourists to have spotted 3 different leopards during the Monsoon season. |
Mr Abhishek.Sen, Mrs Rupali Hiremath and her two twin son's Shikar and Saarth.Hiremath were travelling by " First Class A/ C" while I as usual in my trademark 2nd class sleeper compartment." 14701 Amrapur Aravali Express" was punctual at 1535 hrs and boarded compartment " S2 Seat 25", the train housefull as usual.
 |
| Monsoon season and crop cultivation in Jawai villages. Visit Jawai during Monsoon to experience and see a semi-desert bloom in the rain with a added incentive of spotting the leopard or leopards depending on Monsoon weather situations and circumstances Photo :- Mrs Rupali .Hiremath. |
A normal routine travel and again luck favoured us with the train being punctual, arriving at 0615 hrs at Bandra Railway Terminus.From Bandra Terminus had a long walk to Mahim causeway as i just couldn't get a taxi finally boarding the "No 83 " bus to Prabhadevi in pouring rain.End of a unforgettable totally "Off-Season Leopard Safari " sighting of 3 different leopards in Jawai as also getting a view and personal experience of the eating habits of a leopard.Jim Corbett mentions that the "Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag" became a maneater after eating human carcasses abandoned during the great Flu of 1918.Thankfully the leopards of Jawai survive on small prey animals like langurs and peacocks as well as abandoned dead cattle as was this leopard that we spotted feasting on a dead carcass.Occasionally the leopards might definitely be preying on the cattle of the Rabri tribal nomads but seems they tolerate these livestock losses or might be compensated by the numerous "Leopard Tourism Resorts" that dot the tiny villages of Jawai .One fine day if the leopards of Jawai become extinct due to human-animal conflicts what would happen to Jawai's multi-crore "Leopard Tourism Safari" ? So far so good and there has been no human casualty regarding the leopards of Jawai unlike other parts of India including "Sanjay Gandhi National Park" in Mumbai which has had its fair share of leopard-human conflicts.
