Snippets From My Wildlife Experiences!

Indian Forests are diverse and magnificent. They are not just green patches on the map but ecological wonders and economic resources. The forests have been intertwined with India's history providing habitat to a lot of species and livelihood to countless communities.  The biodiversity within India's forests in awe-inspiring. These ecosystems house worlds known species. Among the iconic inhabitants are the Royal Bengal Tiger, the indian rhinoceres, the elusive snow leopard and the asiatic lion. The diversity of indian forests is a reflection of the country's varied topography and climate.  Below are a few mentioned 1. Tropical Rainforests The dense vegetation and tall canopies characterize these type of forests. These have rich diversity of trees species.  National Park and Sanctuaries - Agumbe Rainforest(Karnataka), Namdhapa Tiger Reserve (Arunachal Pradesh), Pakke Tiger Reserve (Arunachal Pradesh) Wildlife - Royal Bengal Tiger, Indian Leopard, Asian Elephant, Indian Biso

 The Bee Sting during Safari! On an early morning safari during my recent visit to the forests, we were attached by 300/400 honeybees. They gypsy driver, guide, my daughter and me were all swamped by the bees. For 5-10 minutes we did not know what was happening as they were just not leaving us alone, later they did! We returned to the nearest safari gate as it was very traumatic being stung on hands and face primarily.  We were advised to go to the nearest government hospital and take the necessary medical help. I was skeptical as was not quite sure about how these hospitals would be regarding expertise and infrastructure.  We soon realised that we had no other option.  We went to Chimur Government Hospital and were taken by surprise. They were extremely organized witht he reception making note of the issue, we being taken to the OPD and then given the necessary vaccination. This all took cumulative 15-20 minutes. Post which we bought the medicines there itself. The facility was very c

  50 years of Project Tiger! Project Tiger, launched on April1, 1973, to promote tiger conservation in India, completed 50 years. Over the past years, this initiative has been instrumental in saving the tigers from extinction and has been widely recognised as one of the most successful conservation efforts globally. What is noteworthy is that from a mere 9 Tiger Reserves at the inception of the project the number has stealthily grown to 53 across 18 Tiger range states of India.  The Bengal Tiger (Panthera Tigris) the National animal of India is a charismatic field species, native to the country. Despite its visual allure and unequivocal status as an umbrella species, it was on the brink of extinction in 1972 with the national numbers going to an all time low. A new hope to safeguard the population was infused by the Government of India by virtue of Project Tiger! On occasion of celebrating 50 years of Project Tiger, we are thrilled to announce successful completion of hosting a series

 Women Guides At Tadoba! With Women making forays into different fields and also excelling in them, they have just made another addition to their list. Now, women in Maharashtra are also serving as Forest Guides in Tiger Reserves, an area dominated by men until now.  So, next time you visit a Forest, there is every likelihood that you will get a taste of this change with a female guide steering your tour through the narrow routes of the jungle and updating you with all the jungle trivia. The women are guided on how to engage the tourists during the jungle tour with important and interesting information regarding the wild, being polite with the tourists, giving information about flora and fauna.  TATR is famous for its flora and fauna, but now it is also making its mark in women empowerment by creating jobs for them in male dominated areas. From Nature guide to Gypsy driver and boat handlers, there are many areas where women are now working and financially supporting their families. But

  Tadoba in Monsoons! Leave your city lights , traffic and daily chores behind and experience drizzly mornings in the Jungles of Tadoba Forests. Hear and see the sounds and sights of the jungle, surrounded by rain drenched leaves and trees with chirping birds and call of the Wild.  Every year, the onset of monsoon season generally dampens the spirits of large number of wildlife enthusiasts, especially from Nagpur, because of the closure of wildlife parks. However, in the last few years the forest department has opened up the buffer areas which is a reason to cheer for the wildlife enthusiasts.  The core area of the park is closed till 30th September, but the buffer area of Tadoba is open for tourists during the monsoons.  The buffer areas of Tadoba are best known for the tiger sightings throughout the year. Apart from tigers, Tadoba also boasts of a large variety of small jungle cats, carnivores and herbivores, all of which can be spotted in the buffer zone of the jungle.  The roads in

  On the Occasion of Jungle Belles 4th Anniversary today - 23rd August. Jungle Belles is a venture exclusively for women by women started by Hemangi Vartak and Aarti Karve and supported by wildlifer - Sanjay Deshpande in August 2019. Our vision is to build empathy and engagement in the minds of urban women regarding wildlife and conservation so that we can work towards creating a sustainable future for wildlife. First time I visited forests was in 2010 and fell in love with it. Thereby every year i started going to different types of Forests. I used to share pictures over social media of wildlife and the different habitats of Forests. Our friends would ask us, how to go about it? is it safe for women to go? Hence we thought of starting  Jungle Belles which would have a trifold approach - awareness, conservation and exposure to forests/ wildlife or simply nature.  Organising getaways for urban women from their stress-filled routine and giving them and opportunity to be amidst nature by

Welcome to Snippets from Hemangi's Wildlife Experiences! I am Hemangi Chitale - Vartak From Pune.  I was constantly asked by my friends and well wishers to pen down my experiences in to the wild since i caught the wildlife travel bug  in 2010. So I decided to share them via this blog. This platform would be me, a wildlife enthusiast merely sharing the instances and moments of when I am in Nature.  Capturing nature has been one of the most difficult tasks for any photographer. So when it comes to wildlife photography, it has never been easier to do. It becomes way more challenging when the photographer is a woman. I will be happier to share some of my challenges too:-) Photography was one of the by products of going to forests! Forests gave me much more peace, freedom from routine, a digital detox, loads of fresh air and most importantly, some much needed 'me time'! These are the biggest takeaways for me! To introduce myself in short - Primarily I am a commerce student and M