Monsoon in India is a critical aspect of life in the jungles. The South Indian jungles in the Western Ghats receive quite a bit of rainfall from July – September. This completely rejuvenates the jungle – new lives, new streams, puddles, and the life giving Kabini river swells end to end, covering even safari tracks. This trip was to purely break the lockdown boredom – just to be there among the greens and the ever charming Kabini River Lodge.
I was not disappointed as the safaris yielded some amazing natural history moments – Wild dogs feeding on a Chital deer kill, Leopard king Scarface resting on a tree, and the majestic Tiger Tank female quenching her thirst in a puddle.
The Wild dogs (Dholes) are pack hunters. They are very efficient with their hunting strategy and even have hit rates more than the Tiger and Leopard. I was lucky to witness the feeding frenzy on a late rainy evening. I had to push the ISO levels to high 2k to get the dogs in action.
While the dogs put on a high energy show, it was all peaceful and kind of a laid back Leopard that was resting on a tree.
And the other denizens of the forests..
