Tadoba ,4Jun 08

Tadoba is a protected wildlife habitat near Chandrapur,Maharashtra.It lies about 45 km in the north-east direction of Chandrapur town.Earlier it was called as Tadoba wild life sanctuary.But later on its area was increased and Andhari range and Kolsa range were also added to it. Now it is combinedly called as Tadoba-Andhari Tiger project.Currently there are 42 Tigers in this area.We visited Tadoba in the early hours of 4 June 08.That early morning there were light continuous showers and the climate was perfectly pleasant for a forest outing.After hiring a forest guide we started our round at about 7.00am in the morning.Being a cool wet morning , our chances to spot a tiger were quite less , but we were in high spirits to appreciate the flora and fauna of the place.

The first spotted animals were a herd of Chitals in a bush near the lake.Followed by this were a small group of Sambars nearby.A variety of water-birds could be seen near the lake.











As we moved to another area we spotted an Indian sloth bear . It was a adult bear roaming alone in the forest.Monkeys could be seen at various locations through out the forest.Also another common bird in the forest was the Red Wattled Lapwing.

As we were moving along the forest road we spotted a Peacock sitting majestically over a forest
tree-log beside the road.We had very little time to photograph it and the national bird quickly moved into the forest bushes.



On the banks of Tadoba lake we spotted a crocodile with its nostrils held above the water.We spotted a number of birds like Oriental Honey Buzzard, Indian treepie, Little Bee-Eater,White breasted Kingfisher,Black Ibis,Painted stork,Egrets,Indian pond heron, Long legged buzzard and Purple Moorhen.


Driving a vehicle and simultaneously photographing the birds is quite a hectic task.As such we were not able to photograph some of the birds like Quails,Common Hoopoe,Woodpecker,Greater racket tailed drongo, and Asian Paradise fly catcher
Towards the end of our round we spotted a Wild Boar.We could not spot a tiger in this tour.Nevertheless we enjoyed the eco-tour and took lasting memories with us.
Currently the forest canteen near Tadoba lake is closed .Also the resting spot inside the forest is closed .Also the forest department lodges which were quite affordable for tourists (as compared to MTDC resorts) are closed.This is a matter of inconvenience for the tourists.